LIFE projects play a crucial role in delivering the European Green Deal and supporting the transition to a carbon-neutral Europe by 2050. With over 5 500 participants, the Green Transition Forum 5.0 in Sofia, Bulgaria, provided an opportunity for the LIFE Programme to showcase its achievements and promote the ongoing 2025 LIFE Call for Proposals.

Among the visitors to the LIFE stand was KCM, Bulgaria’s leading producer of zinc and lead, and coordinator of the LIFE RECAD project, which aims to drastically reduce cadmium discharges into the Chaya River, a protected Natura 2000 site.

‘Visiting the LIFE Programme stand was an important part of our efforts to raise awareness among local businesses, municipalities, and communities,’ said Hristo Terziev, project manager at KCM. ‘From wastewater to valuable industrial resource, LIFE RECAD is advancing circular solutions for the metals sector, thanks to targeted support from the LIFE Close-to-Market initiative.’

The Forum, which brought together 350 speakers from 32 countries across more than 40 thematic panels over five days, also attracted three European Commissioners and ministers from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey and Albania. Speaking during the panel discussion Sustainable Development of the Regions: Carbon-Neutral and Smart Cities – From Vision to Reality, Hans Rhein, Head of the LIFE Energy and Climate Unit at CINEA, presented examples of successful LIFE projects driving innovation in carbon-neutral cities and green energy.