WRITTEN QUESTION E-0885/00

by Raffaele Costa (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(22 March 2000)

Subject: Projects financed under LIFE II

On 24 February 2000 the Official Journal of the European Communities published the communication of six decisions (Nos C(1999) 1800, C(1999) 4712, C(1999) 2414, C(1999) 4063, C(1999) 2073 and C(1999) 2261) to grant Community financial support for demonstration projects forwarded under the LIFE instrument concerning the environment(1).

As a result of these decisions 94 projects were selected 1999 under LIFE-Nature and 152 projects under LIFE-Environment submitted by organisations, public or private bodies, local authorities and businesses.

For these projects a total of EUR 64.8 million was allocated under LIFE-Nature (7.9 million for projects submitted by Italian applicants) and a total of EUR 65 million under LIFE-Environment (9.4 million for projects submitted by Italian applicants). For the 26 projects under LIFE-Environment and the 19 projects under LIFE-Nature Italy therefore received a total of EUR 17.3 million, equivalent to approximately Lit 33.5 billion.

The beneficiaries of these projects belong to the following regions: Lombardy (7 projects), the Veneto (8 projects), Emilia Romagna (2 projects), Liguria (3 projects), Tuscany (6 projects), Calabria (1 project), Umbria (1 project), Sicily (4 projects), Basilicata (1 project), Lazio (9 projects), Apulia (1 project) and Sardinia (2 projects). Among the projects submitted by Italian applicants not one from Piedmont was selected.

Can the Commission explain why none of the Italian projects selected was from the Piedmont region and whether this was due to a lack of adequate information? If so, can it say who is responsible?

Finally, can the Commission say whether any projects were submitted from the Piedmont region and, if so, how many there were and why none of them was selected?

(1) OJ C 52, 24.2.2000, p. 4.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(18 April 2000)

The projects which the Italian authorities submitted to the Commission in 1999 for funding under Council Regulation (EC) No 1404/96 of 15 July 1996 amending Regulation (EEC) No 1973/92 establishing a financial instrument for the environment (LIFE)(1) were selected in accordance with the criteria set out in Article 9(a) of that Regulation and the procedure set out in Article 13 thereof.

Sufficient funding was available to support only a proportion of the selected projects, taken in the order of classification established during the evaluation phase.

In 1999, none of the projects from submitted from the Piedmont region were classified in a position which resulted in funding. The same is true for seven other regions of Italy.

The Commission does not believe that this can be attributed to a lack of adequate information on the territory of the Piedmont region. Indeed, in 1999 the region benefited from a LIFE information day organised in Turin by the regional authorities and attended by a representative of the Commission.

A total of 12 projects were submitted from Piedmont in 1999 for funding under the LIFE Regulation. All of them related to action covered by Article 2(1)(b).

However, the projects granted LIFE funding in 1999 include LIFE 99 ENV/IT/000051, which was put forward by CENSIS in Rome but is to be carried out in the province of Novara, and LIFE 99 NAT/IT/6279, to be carried out by the Ministry of the Environment in collaboration with all the Italian regions.

(1) OJ L 181, 20.7.1996.