European Competitiveness Fund: ENVI Committee adopts its opinion, asking for a stand-alone LIFE program

The Environment, Climate and Food Safety Committee of the European Parliament adopted its draft opinion on the European Competitiveness Fund, including the specific programme for defence research and innovation activities, on 05/05/2026. 59 MEPs voted for, 22 against, and 8 abstained.

The amendments to the Commission's proposal include:
• clearer definitions of competitiveness ;
• more ambitious objectives (fossil fuel phase-out, climate neutrality by 2050, circular economy) ;
• inclusion of civil society as a stakeholder ;
• upward revisions of the financial envelopes ;
• and the addition of environmental safeguards and conditionalities.

A stand-alone LIFE program for the period 2028 to 2034 has also been added to the Commission's proposal.

The ITRE Committee's vote (the Committee responsible for the file) is awaited in September 2026 and the Plenary vote should take place in October 2026.

Key changes introduced by the ENVI Committee

• New definition of competitiveness: the Committee introduces a definition explicitly linking competitiveness to resilience against climate and…