The European Commission is supporting six environmental projects in Member States.

It is investing €63.8 million (£48.3m) for the first ever “Integrated Projects”, which were introduced to implement environmental legislation on a wider scale and increase the impact of the LIFE programme.

LIFE is the EU’s financial instrument supporting environmental, nature conservation and climate action initaitives throughout the EU.

The projects in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the UK have a total budget of €108.7 million (£82.3m).

They include implementing an air quality plan and improving knowledge and uptake of innovative measures such as natural flood management and sustainable drainage systems.

Karmenu Vella, EU Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, said: “This is an example of Europe directly investing in citizens’ quality of life. To best tackle major environmental and health challenges such as air and water pollution or biodiversity loss, existing policies must be made to work towards the same goals. Integrated Projects deliver precisely that.”