EUROPEAN COMMISSION Brussels, 17.3.2021 COM(2021) 128 final 2018/0209(COD) COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION

TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT



pursuant to Article 294(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union



concerning the position of the Council on the adoption of a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE) and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1293/2013



2018/0209 (COD) COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION

TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT



pursuant to Article 294(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union



concerning the position of the Council on the adoption of a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE) and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1293/2013 1.Background Date of transmission of the proposal to the European Parliament and to the Council

(document COM(2018) 385 final – 2018/0209 COD): 18 June 2018 Date of the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee: 17 October 2018 Date of the opinion of the Committee of the Regions: 9 October 2018 Date of the position of the European Parliament, first reading: 17 April 2019 Date of adoption of the position of the Council: 16 March 2021 2.Objective of the proposal from the Commission The overarching objective of the proposal was to support the transition to a modern, clean and more circular economy by ensuring the continuation of the LIFE Programme after 2020. The LIFE programme is the only EU fund dedicated solely to environmental and climate objectives. With its relatively modest budget, it is targeted at a niche between EU programmes supporting research and innovation, including their demonstration activities, on the one hand and EU programmes financing large-scale deployment on the other hand. Thus the programme contributes to close the gap between the development of new knowledge and its implementation. The proposal followed from the result of the mid-term evaluation of the LIFE programme and the related consultation activities. It was largely based on the present regulation, with an increase in size and scope to embrace the transition to clean energy, currently funded under Horizon 2020. Unlike the current LIFE Regulation, the proposal did not contain any detailed provisions on implementation modalities but limited itself to defining the broader objectives and project types. 3.Comments on the position of the Council The Council's position reflects the agreement found in trilogues. It incorporates the horizontal provisions that were defined in the framework of the negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). In comparison with the first reading of the European Parliament, the Council position includes the following main modifications: –removing the unlimited duration for the programme; –proposing a retroactive application of the Regulation as of 1 January 2021, to avoid a legal vacuum before its adoption; –including the programme-specific climate target and the reference to the biodiversity ambition; –reducing the budget envelope, in line with the amount foreseen in the initial Commission proposal; –refining the Commission proposal on cumulative and alternative funding to allow for a smooth application of the seal of excellence; –limitating the support to international agreements for the organisation of multilateral conferences;