Has your concern for the environment led you to a career in an environmental non-governmental organisation (NGO)? The EU is working to support NGOs active in the field, as well as to promote environmental protection through legislation.

The EU has been protecting our environment since the 1970s, and now has a broad set of rules covering air quality, chemical safety, climate action, nature protection, waste management, water quality and more. In many areas, the EU has been a pioneer in environmental and health protection, pushing countries around the world to follow its example.

But it is not all about past achievements. The EU has a forward-looking attitude when it comes to environmental protection. It has set detailed goals to be met by 2030, guided by a longer-term vision: living well, within our planet's ecological limits, by 2050.

Environmental NGOs play an important role in raising public awareness on environmental issues and starting conversations on what EU environmental and climate policy should do. Through its LIFE programme, the EU funds environmental NGOs working towards EU goals, and conducting research that will inform future policymaking. Nonprofit, independent environmental NGOs established in an EU country and active at the European level can apply for this funding annually. In a typical year, the EU supports between 25 and 30 organisations. Funded NGOs currently include the World Wildlife Fund's European policy office, the European Environmental Bureau, Climate Action Network Europe, Friends of the Earth Europe, BirdLife Europe, and Slow Food.