This week’s updates highlight biodiversity success under LIFE, smarter energy systems, cooperation between climate-neutral cities, the launch of the Digital Product Passport Registry and new opportunities for hydrogen infrastructure developers.
🦅 LIFE Programme - Award-winning projects restore species and habitats
CINEA has highlighted two LIFE Award winners delivering measurable results for rare species, biodiversity and sustainable agriculture.
The projects helped reverse the decline of the Egyptian vulture across several countries and introduced a certified model for biodiversity-friendly olive farming, demonstrating how nature restoration can support both ecosystems and local economies.
Source: European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency
⚡ EU Digital Strategy - Smart technologies support the clean energy transition
The European Commission has adopted an Electrification Action Plan and proposed new measures to make Europe’s electricity system cleaner, smarter and more resilient.
The initiatives promote smart meters, secure grid-data sharing and AI-powered energy management. The proposal sets EU-wide objectives of providing smart meters to at least 50% of final customers by 2030 and 75% by 2033.
Source: Shaping Europe’s digital future
🏙️ EU Cities Mission - New climate-neutral city partnerships launched
A new cohort of the Twinning Learning Programme brings together 16 Mission cities and 13 twin cities through 11 partnerships.
Over the next year, participating cities will exchange tested solutions in areas such as energy, mobility, nature-based solutions and citizen engagement, turning shared knowledge into local climate action plans.
Source: Research and innovation - European Commission
🏷️ Single Market - Digital Product Passport Registry goes live
The European Commission has launched the Digital Product Passport Registry and its testing environment, marking a major step towards greater product and supply-chain transparency.
The system will help businesses register product information, demonstrate compliance and exchange interoperable data for sectors including textiles, batteries, construction products, electronics, furniture, steel and aluminium.
Source: Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
🟢 EU Hydrogen Mechanism - Infrastructure developers invited to participate
The European Commission is inviting hydrogen infrastructure developers to express interest in testing demand for planned projects through the EU Hydrogen Mechanism.
The non-binding process will help transmission operators, hydrogen network operators and other organisations assess market interest in infrastructure such as hydrogen pipelines and storage facilities. Expressions of interest are open until 7 September 2026.
Source: Energy - European Commission