Guidelines for LIFE environment demonstration projects
Date: 2004-07-27
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU financial instrument, action programme, air quality, environmental policy, pollution control measures, reduction of gas emissions, sustainable development, waste management, water

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Official Journal of the European Union

27.7.2004

GUIDELINES FOR LIFE ENVIRONMENT DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS

(2004/C 191/02)

The main objective of LIFE, the only European financial instru-
ment specifically dedicated to the environment, is to support
the Sixth Environment Action Programme, its four priorities as
well as its seven thematic strategies.

While not legally binding, the European Commission will use
the present guidance to evaluate the importance of submitted
LIFE-Environment demonstration project proposals in terms of
community interest. Applicants are, therefore, invited to take
into consideration that proposals addressing issues outside the
scope of the priorities listed below are very unlikely to be co-
financed. These guidelines are also available in the LIFE website
at
the following address: http://europa.eu.int/comm/environ-
ment/life/home.htm

I. GENERAL PRINCIPLES

LIFE-Environment projects should build upon results of com-
munity research programmes as far as this is possible and of
promising technologies developed by the industrial sector.
These projects should deliver results that could be a basis for
wider dissemination activities, for example with the support of
the structural funds.

supports

LIFE-Environment
demonstration
projects (1) within the spirit of the Göteborg strategy in particu-
lar those contributing to the Lisbon process by adding measur-
able social and economic benefits to environmental benefits
and building on a knowledge base approach.

innovative

In accordance with the action plan for environmental technolo-
gies (2), LIFE-Environment encourages projects that lead to:

— the identification of promising environmental technologies/
approaches (or methods or processes). and of the obstacles
to their development
leading to solutions to overcome
those barriers.

— involve financial institutions in the diffusion of the technol-

ogies/approaches developed by the projects.

Projects should address the most
important environmental
issues in the whole life cycle of a process or a product. LIFE-
Environment support will be allocated to the best proposals in
terms of
innovative solutions for important environmental
issues, leading to viable as well as qualitatively and quantita-
tively measurable concrete results. Proposals must be highly
visible and technically and financially sound. They should
incorporate the dissemination of knowledge. The demonstra-
tion character is particularly important; projects must be imple-
mented on a technical scale that allows evaluation of technical
and economic viability of large scale introduction. LIFE-Envir-
onment is not directed at research or at investment in existing
technology. It aims to bridge the gap between research and
development results and widespread implementation/market
introduction. When relevant, LIFE is complementary to the
Community Research Programmes and to the structural Funds
and Rural Development Programmes, and thus aims at enhan-
cing synergies with, and added value of, past and on-going
work.

II. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

The guidelines further define the priorities within the five
objectives set out in Article 4 of the LIFE Regulation (3) in line
with the orientations and approaches defined in the Sixth
Environment Action Programme.

1. Sustainable

land-use
including in urban and coastal areas

development

and

planning,

In order to attain the best results projects should to the greatest
extent:

1.1. Sustainable urban development (4)

— promote the widest possible application of scientifically
(i.e. network projects,

verified technologies/approaches
dissemination of results by relevant bodies, etc.);

— integrate capacity building measures;

1.1.1. Development and promotion of sustainable urban
transport plans for town and cities (to reduce
urban transport demand,
increase the share of
public transport, encourage less polluting transport
modes and improve the environmental perfor-
mance of the transport system as a whole);

(1) Only projects characterised by a ‘high’ degree of innovation can
claim to be really innovative in this context (i.e. new technology or
method, resulting from a study or research, which affects all or
most of a production process or service).

(2) See COM(2004) 38 final, Brussels, 28 January 2004 ‘Stimulating
Technologies for Sustainable Development: an Environmental Tech-
nologies Action Plan for the European Union’.

(3) Regulation (EC) No 1655/2000 concerning the Financial Instrument

for the Environment (LIFE).

(4) Particular attention will be given to projects which may be used to
support the Thematic Strategy on the Urban Environment prepared
by the Commission - http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/environment/
urban/thematic_strategy.htm

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1.1.2. Implementation of integrated urban environmental
management
including the
in towns and cities,
effective reduction of noise level, particularly from
transport and construction activities and meeting
specific environmental targets.

1.2. Air quality management

1.2.1. Support of plans and programmes pursuant

to
Framework Directive 96/62/EC on ambient air
quality and its daughter directives, by providing
innovative solutions for air pollution abatement or
for
launching, monitoring and evaluating such
plans and programmes through the use of indica-
tors of the impact on health and the environment,
including bio-indicators (1).

than those described as best available techni-
ques in BAT reference documents. The degree
of innovation, by comparison with techniques
referred to in BAT reference documents (3),
should be clearly described;

(b) Sectors where reference documents have not
the
yet been produced, aiming to address
issues, in relation to BAT, listed in Annex IV of
the Directive.

3.1.2. Support of activities addressing obstacles to the
development of clean technologies not covered by
IPPC, particularly those undertaken by SMEs.

2. Sustainable management of groundwater and surface

water (2)

3.2. Reduction of emissions of gases having a greenhouse

effect

2.1. Impact of agricultural and forest practices on water
quality with regard to consequences on river basin
management (surface and groundwater) and marine envir-
onment (eutrophication). This includes issues of pesticides,
nutrient pollution and eutrophication, nitrogen balances
in grassland and arable land taking into account quantita-
tive aspects relevant to integrated water management;

2.2. Improvements on wastewater management and treatment
technologies with a view to increased quality of effluent
and re-use needs. Re-use of greywater, including rainwater,
and the re-use of agricultural drainage water;

2.3. Phasing out, cessation of discharges and emissions, and

losses of hazardous substances;

3.2.1. Development of innovative techniques or methods
that substantially and quantifiably reduce green-
house gas emissions (in all sectors, notably in
industry, energy, transport, agriculture, forestry and
waste management);

3.2.2. Innovative applications using renewable energy
sources, for local or small-scale (<10MW) distrib-
uted generation of heat and power, complementary
to other Community energy funding programmes.

4. Prevent, re-use, recover and recycle waste of all kinds

2.4. Flood prevention and control in the context of river basin

management.

Priority in descending order:

3. Minimising the environmental

impact of economic

activities

3.1 Clean technologies

3.1.1. Activities covered by the IPPC Directive, involving

more specifically:

(a) Implementation of more advanced techniques
(in connection with environmental protection)

(1) Bio-indicators = organisms or communities of organisms reacting
under environmental influence with changes in their life functions
and/or their chemical structure and therefore make it possible to
conclude on the state of the environment.

(2) Particular attention will be given to projects that promote a
coherent sustainable and integrated approach to water management
in line with the orientations and recommendations of the Water
Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC establishing a frame-
work for Community action in the field of water policy).

4.1. Waste prevention for significant waste streams in terms of
quantity and environmental impacts involving innovative
means for:

4.1.1. Reduction of the amounts of waste through influ-
encing production and/or consumption while not
transferring the environmental pressures to other
phases of the life cycle of the resource or to other
compartments of the environment;

4.1.2. Reduction of the risks associated with hazardous

substances in products.

4.2. Re-use of products, part of products or extension of the
life-cycle of products in such a way as to reduce their
impacts throughout their life cycles by:

4.2.1. Demonstration of

the

acceptability of

re-use

systems in the market place;

(3) See the full list of industrial sectors where BREFs are being devel-

oped at: http://eippcb.jrc.es/pages/FActivities.htm

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4.2.2. Design of innovative re-use systems which respond

5. Reducing the environmental

impact of products and

to existing market demands

services

5.1. Environmental design of products and services

4.3. Promotion of recycling through:

4.3.1. Development of innovative systems for a more effi-
cient sorting of waste to facilitate recycling of
batteries, packaging, end of life vehicles and waste
electric and electronic equipment;

4.3.2. Removal of technical barriers and/or demonstration
of new uses of recycled materials with the potential
of increasing the environmental benefits of recy-
cling especially plastics, rubber and batteries or
other materials which are not recycled in normal
practice.

5.1.1. Reduction

of

the

environmental

impacts
throughout the life-cycle of products or groups of
products through innovative design (e.g. through
ISO Type I labelling schemes) and improvement of
the information flow within the supply-chain (e.g.
through ISO Type III labelling).

5.2. Reducing environmental impacts during the use phase of

products and services

5.2.1. Promotion of

greening

and
consumption patterns
and
services that have a significant overall environ-
mental impact due to the widespread use or their
inherent characteristics.

the use habits
regarding products