Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council Concerning the Financial Instrument for the Environment (LIFE +) {SEC(2004) 1176}
Date: 2004-09-29
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU financial instrument, budgetary procedure, economic instrument for the environment, environmental policy, sustainable development

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 29.9.2004 
COM(2004) 621 final 

2004/0218 (COD) 

Proposal for a 

REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 

Concerning the Financial Instrument for the Environment (LIFE +) 

(presented by the Commission) 

{SEC(2004) 1176} 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

1. 

CONTEXT 

The  achievement  of  the  Lisbon/  Gothenburg  policy  goals,  namely  the  development  of  a 
European economy that delivers growth and social cohesion while reducing negative impacts 
on  the  environment,  requires  continued  commitment  to  sustainable  use  and  management  of 
resources  and  environment  protection.  The  March  2004  Spring  Council  concluded  that 
‘Growth, to be sustainable, must be environmentally sound’. The current trends in the state of 
the environment and the increased pressures it is subject to call for increased and enhanced 
action. The challenge for the upcoming financial perspectives period is double: first, to ensure 
that  key  environmental  objectives  –  combating  climate  change,  halting  the  decline  in  bio-
diversity, improving the quality of life and ensuring the sustainable use and management of 
resources  –  complement  and  reinforce  the  growth  agenda  and,  second,  to  decouple  growth 
from its negative environmental impacts.  

EU  funding  is  fundamental  to  achieving  these  policy  goals.  It  is  provided  for  in  the 
communication “Building our common future ~ Policy challenges and budgetary means of the 
enlarged Union, 2007-2013” [COM(2004) 101] as complemented by “Financial Perspectives 
2007-2013” [COM(2004) 487]. Environment will be integrated into these priority policy areas 
and  will  be  funded  primarily  through  the  Heading  1,  Sustainable  Growth  (Heading  1A, 
including innovation and competitiveness framework programme; research and development 
programmes  and  Heading  1B,  cohesion  for  growth  and  employment),  Heading  2: 
Conservation  and  Management  of  Resources,  including,  agriculture  and  rural  development 
programmes),  and  Heading  4:  Europe  as  a  Global  Partner,  including  the  pre-accession  and 
development and external assistance programmes). At present, for example, around 16.5 % of 
the  ERDF  and  50%  of  the  Cohesion  Fund  are  devoted  to  the  environment.  In  addition,  all 
cohesion, agri-environment and rural development interventions must respect Community law 
on the environment. These levels of funding for environmental activities should be maintained 
and where necessary increased in the next financing period, reflecting the importance of the 
environment as a key dimension of sustainable development. 

Funding for the environment has clear European value-added. Environment degradation and 
climate  change  combined  with  the  increasing  incidence  of  natural  disasters  of  a  transborder 
nature  (eg  flooding,  forest  fires)  demand  a  Europe  wide  and  global  approach  and  response. 
EU  funding  supports  activities  that  by  their  trans-boundary  nature  would  not  be  funded  at 
national  level.  There  are  many  examples  of  common  public  goods  within  the  field  of 
environment,  benefiting  all  of  Europe  and  hence  justifying  support  at  EU  level.  The 
commitment  to  environment  protection  in  the  Treaty  and  the  need  to  oversee  the 
implementation of the body of environment legislation which has been adopted over the past 
thirty years requires action and financial support at EU level.  

The  main  Community  funding  instruments  will  support  physical  and  tangible  investment  in 
the environment as well as support for research, innovation and environmental technologies. 
However, these programmes do not cover all environment funding imperatives. For example, 
they  do  not  cover  activities  having  a  uniquely  European  dimension  such  as  best  practice 
exchange, capacity building of local and regional authorities and support for NGOs having a 
Europe  wide  vocation.  These  are  essential  complements  to  investment  funding  and 
fundamental  to  the  achievement  of  environmental  goals  in  the  enlarged  EU.  Hence  a  new 

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Financial Instrument for the Environment is needed. It will group together most of the current 
support  programmes  for  the  environment  in  one  instrument  and  will  be  funded  under 
Expenditure  Heading  2  of  the  Financial  perspectives  2007-2013,  Conservation  and 
Management of Natural Resources. 

2. 

THE CHOICE OF INSTRUMENT: LIFE+ 

In  order  to  complement  main  funding  programmes,  a  new  Financial  Instrument  for  the 
Environment, LIFE + (L’Instrument Financier pour  l’Environnement: Promouvoir L’ Union 
Soutenable) is proposed. 

The  general  objective  of  LIFE  +  shall  be  to  contribute  to  the  development,  implementation 
monitoring, evaluation and communication of Community environment policy and legislation 
as  a  contribution  to  promoting  sustainable  development  in  the  EU.  LIFE+  will  support  in 
particular  the  implementation  of  the  6th  Environmental  Action  Programme  which  aims  at 
combating  climate  change,  halting  the  decline  in  nature  and  bio-diversity,  improving 
environment, health and the quality of life, promoting the sustainable use and management of 
natural  resources  and  wastes  and  developing  strategic  approaches  to  policy  development, 
implementation and information/awareness raising . 

LIFE+ will support those activities which have  

– 

– 

– 

– 

European added value: it will intervene only where there is a clear EU value added 
and contributes to economies of scale on a European level. 

leverage or multiplier effect: it will provide a co-funding mechanism with  Member 
States, regional or local authorities and other public and private operators. 

catalytic  or  demonstrative  character:  LIFE  +  will  support  actions  that  show  novel 
ways to approach and implement environment policy; 

long term perspective: LIFE + interventions will be investments for the future. They 
will aim at setting the foundations for sustainability  

LIFE + will have two strands: 

LIFE+ Implementation and Governance will: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

contribute  to  the  development  and  demonstration  of  innovative  policy  approaches 
and instruments including promotion of successful research results. 

contribute  to  consolidating  the  knowledge  base  for  the  development,  assessment, 
monitoring and evaluation, including ex-post evaluation of environmental policy and 
legislation (through i.a studies, modelling and scenario building); 

support the design and implementation of approaches to monitoring and assessment 
of the state of the environment and the drivers, pressures and responses that impact 
on it; 

facilitate  the  implementation  of  Community  environment  policy,  with  a  particular 
emphasis  on  implementation  at  local  and  regional  level,  through  i.a.  capacity 

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building, exchange of best practice and networking, development of training modules 
and/or programmes; 

– 

provide  support  for  better  environmental  governance,  broadening  stakeholder 
involvement,  including  that  of  environment  non-governmental  organisations,  in 
policy consultation and implementation; 

This  programme  strand  will  generate  improvement  in  the  knowledge  base  of  environment 
policy  development  and  implementation.  Future  policy  will  be  increasingly  complex  to 
devise, demanding more comprehensive data. It is widely recognised that, in the interests of 
better  policy  making  and  enhanced  cost  effectiveness,  a  major  effort  is  needed  to  get  better 
data on the state of the environment and to  understand the linkages between air, water, soil 
and  the  cause  and  effect  relationship  between  different  activities  and  environment 
degradation.  There  is  generally  insufficient  quantitative  data  and  qualitative  information 
reported  to  underpin  comprehensive  evaluation  of  environmental  policies.  For  most 
environmental indicators, there is not full EU coverage. Data is often not comparable between 
countries  due  to  diverging  definitions  and  data  collection  practices.  There  are  few  common 
standards, insufficient inter-operability between monitoring systems and limited opportunities 
for data sharing. LIFE+ Implementation and Governance will support modelling and scenario 
building,  studies  as  well  as  the  conception,  design  and  demonstration  of  new  approaches  to 
monitoring  and  assessment  in  key  priority  areas,  including  those  covered  by  the  thematic 
strategies  (i.e.  resources,  waste  prevention,  air,  soil,  marine,  pesticides  and  urban 
environment).  This  will  contribute  to  consolidating  the  knowledge  base,  improve  coherence 
and consistency of monitoring and assessment on a European basis and thereby significantly 
improve EU environmental policy development and implementation 

in 

integrating  sustainability 

LIFE+  Implementation  and  Governance  will  facilitate  networking  and  exchange  of  best 
practice  on  a  European  scale.  Networking  will  be  particularly  important  in  facilitating 
exchanges of views and best practice in areas where policy, policy approaches, legislation or 
development of means of implementation are in early stages e.g. implementing and managing 
the 
NATURA  sites, 
environmental  dimension  of  forest  protection  and  in  the  forest  fire  prevention  field, 
environment  and  health, etc.  Networking amongst Member State administrative and judicial 
authorities active in the environment field has proven essential to improving and facilitating 
the  implementation  of  Community  legislation.  The  multiplier  effect  of  current  networking 
initiatives having a European dimension – the Sustainable Mobility Campaign/Car Free Day, 
the stakeholder consultations under the thematic strategies etc – have shown demonstrated the 
usefulness of support in this area. 

in  urban  planning, 

in  furthering 

Capacity building under LIFE+, particularly at local and regional level, will lead to synergies 
by preparing authorities, institutions and private entities to implement policies and legislation, 
leading potentially to improved implementation and greater environmental integration in other 
policies and programmes. 

LIFE+ Implementation and Governance will also facilitate, through its support for networks, 
stakeholders  and  environment  NGOs,  the  active  involvement  of  citizens  in  the  policy 
development and implementation process. In the enlarged EU, the role of these organisations 
in  disseminating  information,  monitoring  implementation  of  policies  and  stimulating  debate 
will become increasingly important. 

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LIFE Information and Communication will 

– 

– 

disseminate information and raise awareness on environmental issues; 

support  accompanying  measures  (such  as  publications,  events,  campaigns, 
conferences,etc); 

LIFE+ Information and Communication will actively promote EU environmental policies by 
means  of  information,  communication,  awareness-raising  and  dialogue,  thereby  helping  to 
empower individuals and groups in European civil society to participate, in an informed and 
active manner, in the protection of the environment and the sustainable use of resources. By 
building  up  and  maintaining  effective  mechanisms  for  co-operative  awareness  raising  and 
dialogue with networks of relevant stakeholders, LIFE Information and Communication will 
enhance  ownership  of  EU  environmental  policies  and  contribute  to  more  effective 
implementation. The programme will bring EU policies closer to the citizen. 

3. 

LIFE+ - A SIMPLIFIED, STREAMLINED AND PROPORTIONATE INSTRUMENT 

The choice of a single instrument is predicated on simplification grounds as well as on lessons 
learned and the recommendations of past evaluations. DG Environment currently manages, on 
a  central  basis,  several  different  programmes  -  the  LIFE  programme,  a  sustainable  urban 
development  programme,  a  NGO  programme,  Forest  Focus,  a  general  policy  development 
and implementation facility (which has an internal and external dimension) and a budgetary 
its  own 
transfer 
application/administration  and  comitology  procedures,  the  management  of  which  demands 
considerable resources. 

these  different  programmes  has 

the  EEA.  Each  of 

to 

The  current  LIFE  programme  has  three  strands:  Environment,  Nature  and  Third  Countries. 
LIFE Environment has supported demonstration and pilot projects aimed at developing new 
approaches  and  methods  for  the  protection  and  enhancement  of  the  environment,  with  a 
particular emphasis on innovative technologies and applications; LIFE Nature has supported 
the  implementation  of  EU  nature  conservation  policy;  and  LIFE  third  countries  has  funded 
technical assistance activities for capacity building and promoting sustainable development in 
third countries. The Community Framework for Co-operation to Promote Sustainable Urban 
Development  provides  financial  and  technical  support  to  networks  of  local  authorities  and 
aims to encourage the conception, exchange and implementation of good practice at the local 
level of EU environmental legislation, sustainable urban development and Local Agenda 21 
(measures  at  sub-national  level  aimed  at  sustainable  development).  The  Community  Action 
Programme promoting non-governmental organisations (NGOs) provides financial assistance 
for  NGOs  that  are  involved  in  contributing  to  the  development  and  implementation  of 
Community  environmental  policy  and  legislation  in  different  regions  of  Europe.  The  Forest 
Focus  programme  covers  the  monitoring  and  protection  of  forests  against  atmospheric 
pollution  and  fires  and  the  monitoring  of  forests  in  relation  to  biodiversity,  climate  change, 
carbon  sequestration  and  soils.  It  also  supports  the  development  of  forest  fire  prevention 
measures.  Other  actions  for  the  environment  are  funded  out  of  general  budget  lines,  both 
internal  and  external,  based  on  Article  49(2)  of  the  Financial  Regulation  (institutional 
prerogative  of  the  Commission).  For  the  actions  within  the  EU,  these  budget  lines  provide 
funding  for  the  implementation  of  the  environment  policy,  including  studies  and  awareness 
raising  actions.  As  for  the  external  dimension,  they  cover  in  particular  the  regular 
contributions  to  the  Environmental  Conventions  and  international  agreements  to  which  the 
Community is a Party. 

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Most  of  these  programmes  will  be  merged  to  fall  under  the  single  instrument  for  the 
environment. The basic objectives and scope of some of these programmes will continue to be 
covered under LIFE+. For example, the scope of the current Forest Focus regulation will be 
reflected  in  the  LIFE+  programmes  and  the  activities  will  be  covered  by  both  strands  of 
LIFE+. Support for NGOs and local and regional authorities will continue under LIFE+. The 
budgetary  envelope  is  sufficient  to  facilitate  funding  of  these  activities  in  line  with  past 
commitments. The subsidy to the EEA will be made under the same Budgetary Expenditure 
Heading but not under the LIFE+ regulation.  

Concerning programmes and expenditure that will not be covered under the new instrument, 
the single instrument is not a simple extension of the current LIFE programme. In the context 
of  the  decisions  taken  in  preparation  of  the  Communication  on  the  Financial  Perspectives 
[COM(2004)  487],  and  in  the  interests  of  improving  synergy  between  various  Community 
instruments, the environmental technology and eco-innovation component of the current LIFE 
programme  will  be  integrated  in  the  EU’s  competitiveness  framework  programme  which  is 
under  preparation.  This  will  cover  many  of  the  activities  covered  under  the  current  LIFE 
Environment.  In  the  same  Communication,  it  is  proposed  that  the  funding  of  the  external 
dimension  of  environment  policy  will  be  done  uniquely  through  the  external  assistance 
instruments. Therefore, the LIFE Third Countries strand under the current LIFE programme 
and the external actions which were financed out of the general implementation facility (such 
as contributions to international environment conventions) will be funded under the external 
assistance  instruments  in  the  future.  Civil  protection  will  continue  to  be  funded  separately, 
under a separate solidarity instrument. 

The efficiency gains in merging the other programmes into one instrument will come through 
substantial  simplification  of  the  decision-making  process,  flexibility  in  allocation  of  funds 
within  the  same  instrument  and  reduction  of  administrative  overheads  involved  in  funding 
similar activities through different programmes. A single instrument will allow for a single set 
of  rules  and  decision-making  and  financing  procedures,  as  well  as  more  consistent  policy 
targeting. The result will be a reduction in the administrative overheads involved, as well as 
more transparency and visibility. 

A  multi-annual  programming  approach  will  be  introduced,  with  the  Commission  presenting 
multi-annual programmes that will set out principal objectives, priority areas of action, type of 
actions,  expected  results  and  indicative  funding  for  adoption.  Detailed  annual  work 
programmes  will 
into  specific  actions.  These 
programmes  will  include  indicators  for  the  evaluation  and  assessment  of  the  programme. 
Detailed implementation provisions will be adopted for the implementation and evaluation of 
the programmes. 

the  multi-annual  objectives 

translate 

The  results  of  evaluations  have  been  taken  on  board  in  the  design  of  LIFE+.  These 
assessments have shown that the current programmes have had a positive impact. LIFE, for 
example, has been instrumental in getting key environment initiatives such as the NATURA 
2000 network launched. Other programmes have supported the establishment of Europe wide 
local  and  non-governmental  environment  networks  and  organisations.  The  LIFE  evaluation 
pointed to the need to improve support of policy  development,  to  improve  dissemination  of 
results and to aim for greater Europe wide impact of demonstration projects. It concluded that 
whilst  the  programme  is  efficiently  managed  and  controlled,  using  systematic  and  rigorous 
procedures,  the  processes  are  bureaucratic  and  could  benefit  from  simplification.  These 
recommendations have been taken into account in the design of LIFE+. 

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LIFE+ takes both subsidiarity and proportionality into account. Concerning subsidiarity, there 
is scope for action in the environment field at all levels of governance. Specific attention has 
been paid in designing the LIFE+ instrument to ensure that only actions that demonstrate EU 
value  added  will  be  supported.  The  European  Union  is  based  on  solidarity,  and  on  learning 
from  each  other.  At  the  same  time,  the  delivery  of  key  agreed  objectives  requires  synergy 
between  actions  and  expenditure  decisions  at  the  EU,  national,  and  regional  levels.  By 
complementing  and  stimulating  national,  regional  and  local  efforts  to  promote  environment 
protection, the Union can contribute to the efficiency of actions at those levels of governance 
and  demonstrate  EU-wide  solidarity.  This  is  all  the  more  important  given  the  increased 
diversity following enlargement. 

The needs for financial support for the environment in the enlarged EU are significant. These 
needs  are  mainly  related  to  investment  in  the  infrastructure  required  to  effectively 
implementation  of  EC  environment  legislation.  However,  there  is  an  additional  need  for 
support for accompanying measures. This funding through LIFE+ is small by comparison to 
the  investment  needs,  but  large  in  its  multiplier  and  cohesive  effects.  It  is  modest  and  well 
within  proportion  given  the  extent  of  environment  challenges  the  EU  will  face  over  the 
Financial Perspective period. 

The  new  environment  instrument  will  complement  and  enhance  other  EC  funding 
instruments.  Specific  attention  will  be  paid  to  ensuring  that  double  funding  is  avoided.  For 
example, the actions under LIFE+ in the knowledge building area will be closely coordinated 
with and may be contracted through the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen (the 
EEA). 

Considerable  efforts  will  be  made  to  complement  rural  development  and  structural  funding. 
For example, the current LIFE Nature programme has been very effective in supporting the 
designation  of  NATURA  2000  sites  and  demonstrating  how  some  of  these  sites  could  be 
managed.  The  next  step  in  the  realisation  of  the  NATURA  2000  network,  following 
designation,  is  the  active  management  of  the  sites.  This  requires  increased  funding  and 
funding  of  a  strategic,  longer  term  and  structural  nature,  namely  investment  support  for  the 
sites  and  for  owners  of  the  sites.  The  EU  structural  and  rural  development  funds  are  best 
placed  to  provide  this  and  have  made  provision  to  do  so  in  the  next  financial  perspectives 
period. However the new LIFE+ instrument will continue to be applicable to certain actions 
related  to  NATURA  2000  that  are  not  covered  by  the  other  instruments  such  as  the 
development  of  innovative  ways  to  approach  and  demonstrate  site  management;  technical 
support for the preparation of management plans for new sites or those not covered by either 
structural  or  rural  development  fund  provisions;  design  of  innovative  monitoring  schemes; 
training  of  stakeholders;  communication  and  networking  activities;  support  for  the 
establishment  of  local  partnerships  that  promote  specific  governance  approaches  to  the 
protection of NATURA 2000 areas. 

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2004/0218 (COD) 

Proposal for a 

REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 

Concerning the Financial Instrument for the Environment (LIFE +) 

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Community  and  in  particular 
Article 175(1) thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission 1, 

Having regard to the Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee 2, 

Having regard to the Opinion of the Committee of the Regions 3, 

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

Environment, as one of the dimensions of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy 
adopted  at  the  Gothenburg  European  Council  in  2001,  is  a  priority  for  Community 
assistance  and  will  be  funded  primarily  through  cohesion,  agriculture  and  rural 
development, 
innovation  and  competitiveness,  pre-accession  and 
development and external assistance programmes.  

research, 

These Community programmes do not cover all environment funding imperatives and 
there  is  a  need  to  support  Community  environment  policy  and  legislation,  and 
specifically the priorities under the Sixth Environmental Action Programme;  

The challenge of effective environment policy development and implementation under 
the  6th  EAP  can  only  be  met  through  support  for  the  demonstration  of  innovative 
policy  approaches,  consolidating  the  knowledge  base,  building  implementation 
capacity,  fostering  good  governance,  promoting  networking  mutual  learning  and  the 
exchange  of  best  practice  and  improved  dissemination  of  information,  awareness 
raising and communication; 

(4) 

The  support  under  this  regulation  should  therefore  be  targeted  on  the  development, 
implementation,  monitoring  and  evaluation  of  environment  policy  and  legislation  as 
well as its communication and dissemination throughout the EU; 

1 
2 
3 

OJ C […], […], p. […]. 
OJ C […], […], p. […]. 
Opinion delivered on (not yet published in the Official Journal). 

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(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

(9) 

(10) 

The  support  should  be  provided  through  grant  agreements  and  public  procurement 
contracts provided under the Financial Regulation,  

The  experience  of  current  and  past  instruments  has  highlighted  the  need  to  plan  and 
programme  on  a  multi-annual  basis  and  concentrate  efforts  by  prioritising  and 
targeting the areas of activity able to benefit from Community financial aid,  

There is a need to reduce the number of programmes and simplify programming and 
management through a single, streamlined programme; 

There is however a need to ensure a smooth transition and to continue to monitor and 
audit the activities financed under current programmes following their expiry, 

Attention  needs  to  be  paid  to  ensuring  that  this  support  under  this  programme  is 
complementary to other Community funds and instruments,  

In  line  with  the  Conclusions  of  the  European  Council  meetings  in  Luxembourg 
(December  1997)  and  in  Thessaloniki  (June  2003),  candidate  countries  and  the 
Western  Balkan  countries  in  the  Stabilisation  and  Association  Process  should  be 
considered eligible to participate in Community Programmes, in accordance with the 
conditions  established  in  the  relevant  bilateral  agreements  concluded  with  these 
countries. 

(11)  The Regulation establishes a financial framework for seven years, which is to be the 
principal point of reference for the budgetary authority, within the meaning of para 36 
of the (proposal for the) inter-institutional agreement of (xxx) between the European 
Parliament,  the  Council  and  the  Commission  on  budgetary  discipline  and  the 
improvement of the budgetary procedure [COM(2004) 498 final of 14.7.2004]; 

(12)  The achievement of the objectives of the 6th Environmental Action Programme agreed 
at  Community  level,  cannot  be  sufficiently  achieved  by  the  Member  States  acting 
individually, and there is hence a justification for Community assistance provided that 
it does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve those objectives; 

HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 

Article 1 

Objectives 

A  financial  instrument  for  the  environment,  hereinafter  referred  to  as  "LIFE+",  is  hereby 
established. 

The general objective of LIFE+ shall be to contribute to the development and implementation 
of  Community  environment  policy  and  of  environmental  legislation,  as  a  contribution  to 
promoting sustainable development. 

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LIFE+  will  support  the  implementation  of  the  6th  Environmental  Action  Programme,  and 
specifically contribute to  

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

achieving a quality of the environment where the levels of pollution do not give rise 
to harmful effects on human health and the environment,  

stabilising  greenhouse  gas  concentrations  in  the  atmosphere  at  a  level  that  would 
prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. 

protecting,  preserving,  restoring  and  facilitating  the  functioning  of  natural  systems, 
natural habitats, wild flora and fauna, with the aim of halting desertification and the 
loss of biodiversity,  

promoting  better  management  of  natural  resources  and  waste,  and  encouraging  a 
shift to more sustainable production and consumption patterns. 

developing  strategic  approaches  to  policy  development,  implementation  and 
integration, including improving environmental governance and raising awareness. 

Article 2 

Scope and Specific Objectives 

1. 

To  support  the  achievement  of  the  environmental  objectives  set  out  in  Article  1, 
LIFE+ will have two components. 

LIFE+ Implementation and Governance will: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

contribute  to  the  development  and  demonstration  of  innovative  policy 
approaches and instruments, 

contribute 
the  development, 
assessment, monitoring and evaluation of environmental policy and legislation, 

the  knowledge  base  for 

to  consolidating 

support  the  design  and  implementation  of  approaches  to  monitoring  and 
assessment  of  the  state  of  the  environment  and  the  drivers,  pressures  and 
responses that impact on it; 

facilitate  the  implementation  of  Community  environment  policy,  with  a 
particular emphasis on implementation at local and regional level,  

provide  support  for  better  environmental  governance,  broadening  stakeholder 
involvement,  including  that  of  non-governmental  organisations,  in  policy 
consultation and implementation; 

LIFE+ Information and Communication will: 

– 

– 

disseminate information and raise awareness on environmental issues, 

provide  support  for  accompanying  measures  (information,  communication 
actions and campaigns, conferences, etc). 

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2. 

An indicative list of eligible themes and actions is provided in Annex 1. 

Article 3 

Types of intervention 

1. 

Community funding may take the following legal forms: 

– 

– 

grant agreements 

public procurement contracts  

2. 

3. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

Community grants may be provided through specific forms and agreements such as 
framework  partnership  agreements  and  participation  in  financial  mechanisms  and 
funds. They may take the form of co-funding of operating or action grants. For action 
grants,  the  maximum  rate  of  co-financing  will  be  specified  in  the  annual  work 
programmes.  Operating  grants  to  bodies  pursuing  objectives  of  general  European 
interest may not be subject to the degressivity provisions of the Financial Regulation. 

Furthermore,  expenditure  is  foreseen  for  accompanying  measures,  through  public 
procurement  contracts,  in  which  case  Community  funds  will  cover  the  purchase  of 
services  and  goods.  This  will  cover,  inter  alia,  expenditure  on  information  and 
communication,  preparation,  implementation,  monitoring,  checking  and  evaluation 
of projects, policies, programmes and legislation. 

Article 4 

Programming  

Funding will be provided in support of multi-annual strategic programmes drawn up 
by the Commission. These programmes shall define the principal objectives, priority 
areas  of  action,  type  of  actions  and  expected  results  for  Community  funding  in 
relation to the objectives set out in Article 1  and would, as far  as possible, include 
indicative financial estimates.  

Annual  work  programmes  shall  be  based  on  the  multi-annual  strategic  programme 
and shall set out, for a given year, the aims being pursued, the fields of action, the 
calendar,  expected  results,  implementation  modalities,  financing  amounts  and  the 
maximum rate of co-financing. 

The  multi-annual  and  annual  programmes  will  be  adopted  according  to  the 
procedures  set  out  in  Article  12.  If  circumstances  require,  the  multi-annual  and 
annual programmes may be amended during the period of their application following 
the same procedures  

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Article 5 

Financial Procedures and Implementing Measures 

1. 

2. 

The Commission shall implement the Community Assistance in accordance with the 
Council  Financial  Regulation  (Council  Regulation  (EC/Euratom)  N°  1605/2002  of 
25 June 2002) applicable to the general budget of the European Communities. 

The Commission may decide to entrust part of the budget implementation to national 
public-sector bodies or bodies governed by private law with a public-service mission 
on the basis of the provisions as laid down in Article 54, para.2(c) of the Financial 
Regulation, according to the selection criteria set out in Annex 3. 

Article 6 

Beneficiaries 

The LIFE+ programme shall be open to public and/or private bodies, actors and institutions, 
in particular: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

National, regional and local authorities 

Specialised bodies foreseen in the EU legislation 

International  organisations, for actions in the  Member States and countries referred 
to in Article 7 

Non-governmental organisations. 

Article 7 

Participation of Third Countries  

The programmes financed through LIFE+ shall be open to the participation of the following 
countries, provided that supplementary appropriations are received: 

– 

– 

the EFTA States which are members of the EEA, in accordance with the provisions 
of the EEA agreement 

the  candidate  countries  which  have  applied  to  become  Members  of  the  European 
Union,  as  well  as  to  the  western  Balkan  countries  included  in  the  Stabilisation  and 
Association process. 

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Article 8 

Complementarity between financial instruments 

Operations  financed  under  this  Regulation  shall  not  fall  within  the  main  scope  nor  receive 
assistance  for  the  same  purpose  from  other  Community  financial  instruments.  The 
beneficiaries of this Regulation shall provide the Commission with information about funding 
received  from  the  EC  budget  and  of  ongoing  applications  for  funding.  Synergies  and 
complementarity will be sought with other Community instruments.  

Article 9 

Duration and budgetary resources 

1. 

This  regulation  shall  be  implemented  starting  on  1  January  2007  and  ending  on  31 
December 2013.  

The  financial  framework  for  the  implementation  of  this  instrument  is  set  at  EUR 
2,190  million  for  the  period  from  1  January  2007  to  31  December  2013  (seven 
years). 

The budgetary resources allocated to the actions provided for in this Regulation shall 
be entered in the annual appropriations of the general budget of the European Union. 
The  available  annual  appropriations  shall  be  authorised  by  the  budgetary  authority 
within the limits of the financial perspectives. 

The  indicative  breakdown  of  the  financial  support  between  the  two  components  of 
LIFE+ is given in Annex 2. 

Article 10 

Monitoring  

For  any  action  financed  by  LIFE+,  the  beneficiary  shall  submit,  technical  and 
financial  reports  on  the  progress  of  work.  A  final  report  shall  also  be  submitted 
within  three  months  of  the  completion  of  the  action.  The  Commission  shall 
determine the form and content of the reports. 

Without prejudice to the audits carried out by the Court of Auditors in liaison with 
the  competent  national  audit  bodies  or  departments  pursuant  to  Article  248  of  the 
Treaty,  or  any  inspection  carried  out  pursuant  to  Article  279(c)  of  the  Treaty, 
officials  and  other  staff  of  the  Commission  may  carry  out  on-the-spot  checks, 
including sample checks, on actions financed under LIFE+. 

Contracts and agreements, as well as agreements with delegated bodies referred to in 
Article 5(2), resulting from this Regulation shall provide in particular for supervision 

2. 

3. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

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13 

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4. 

5. 

6. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

and financial control by the Commission (or any representative authorized by it) and 
audits by the Court of Auditors, if necessary on-the-spot. 

For  a  period  of  five  years  following  the  last  payment  in  respect  of  any  action,  the 
beneficiary  of  financial  assistance  shall  keep  available  for  the  Commission  all  the 
supporting documents regarding expenditure on the action. 

On the basis of the results of the reports and sample checks referred to in paragraphs 
1  and  2,  the  Commission  shall,  if  necessary,  adjust  the  scale  or  the  conditions  of 
allocation  of  the  financial  assistance  originally  approved  and  also  the  timetable  for 
payments.  

The  Commission  shall  take  every  other  step  necessary  to  verify  that  the  actions 
financed  are  carried  out  properly  and  in  compliance  with  the  provisions  of  this 
Regulation  and  the  Financial  Regulation  (Council  Regulation  (EC/Euratom)  N° 
1605/2002 of 25 June 2002). 

Article 11 

Protection of Community financial interests 

The  Commission  shall  ensure  that  ,  when  actions  financed  under  the  present 
Regulation are implemented, the financial interests of the Community are protected 
by  the  application  of  preventive  measures  against  fraud,  corruption  and  any  other 
illegal activities, by effective checks and by the recovery of the amounts unduly paid 
and, if irregularities are detected , by effective, proportional and dissuasive penalties, 
in  accordance  with  Council  Regulations  (EC,  Euratom)  No  2988/95  and  (Euratom, 
EC)  No  2185/96,  and  with  Regulation  (EC)  No  1073/1999  of  the  European 
Parliament and of the Council. 

For the Community actions financed under LIFE+, the notion of irregularity referred 
to in Article 1, paragraph 2 of Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95 shall mean any 
infringement  of  a  provision  of  Community  law  or  any  breach  of  a  contractual 
obligation resulting from an act or omission by an economic operator, which has, or 
would  have,  the  effect  of  prejudicing  the  general  budget  of  the  Communities  or 
budgets managed by them, by an unjustified item of expenditure. 

The Commission shall reduce, suspend or recover the amount of financial assistance 
granted  for  an  action  if  it  finds  irregularities,  including  non-compliance  with  the 
provisions of this Regulation or the individual decision or the contract or agreement 
granting the financial support in question, or if it transpires that, without Commission 
approval  having  being  sought,  the  action  has  been  subjected  to  a  change  which 
conflicts with the nature or implementing conditions of the project. 

If  the  time  limits  have  not  been  observed  or  if  only  part  of  the  allocated  financial 
assistance  is  justified  by  the  progress  made  with  implementing  an  action,  the 
Commission  shall  request  the  beneficiary  to  submit  observations  within  a  specified 
period. If the beneficiary does not give a satisfactory answer, the Commission may 
cancel  the  remaining  financial  assistance  and  demand  repayment  of  sums  already 
paid.  

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14 

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5. 

1. 

2. 

Any undue payment shall be repaid to the Commission. Interest shall be added to any 
sums  not  repaid  in  good  time  under  the  conditions  laid  down  by  the  Financial 
regulation.  

Article 12 

Committee 

The Commission shall be assisted by a committee, LIFE+ Committee, composed of 
representatives  of  the  Member  States  and  chaired  by  the  representative  of  the 
Commission. 

reference 

Where 
and  7  of 
Decision 1999/468/EC  shall  apply,  having  regard  to  the  provisions  of  Article  8 
thereof. 

this  paragraph,  Articles 4 

is  made 

to 

The  period  laid  down  in  Article 4(2)  of  Decision 1999/468/EC  shall  be  set  at  three 
months. 

Article 13 

Evaluation  

The  multi-annual  programmes  will  be  monitored  regularly  in  order  to  follow  the 
implementation of activities carried out under each strand. 

LIFE+ will be subject to a mid-term and final evaluation in order assess its contribution to the 
development of Community environmental policy and the use made of the appropriations. 

The final evaluation will be carried out not later than one year before the programme ends and 
shall be submitted to the EP and the Council.  

Article 14 

Simplification and Consolidation 

1. 

With a view to simplification and consolidation, this Regulation repeals and replaces 
the  following  instruments:  Council  Regulation  (EEC)  No  1973/92  (LIFE)  and 
Council Regulation (EC) No 1404/96 4(LIFE II); Regulation (EC) No 1655/2000 of 
the European Parliament and of the Council (LIFE III), and its extension;, Decision 
No  1411/2001/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  (‘the  Urban 
Programme’),  Decision  No  466/2002/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council  (the  ‘NGO  programme’);  Regulation  (EC)  No  2152/2003  of  the  European 
Parliament and of the Council (Forest Focus).  

4 

OJ L 181, 20.7.1996, p. 1. 

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15 

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2. 

Actions  started  before  31  December  2006  pursuant  to  the  instruments  referred  to 
above shall continue to be governed, until their completion by these instruments. The 
committees  provided  for  in  these  instruments  shall  be  replaced  by  the  Committee 
referred to in Article 12 of this Regulation. This Regulation will fund any obligatory 
monitoring and evaluation required under these instruments following their expiry. 

Article 15 

Rules of implementation of this Regulation 

Implementing  provisions  will  be established by the Commission according to the procedure 
set out in Article 12. 

Article 16 

Entry into force 

This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the 
Official Journal of the European Union. 

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. 

Done at Brussels, […] 

For the European Parliament 
The President 
[…] 

For the Council 
The President 
[…] 

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ANNEX 1 

Indicative Themes and Actions Eligible for Funding  

1. Themes 

In  view  of  the  objectives  laid  down  in  Article  1,  funding  could  be  provided,  inter  alia,  for 
support of the implementation of the 6th EAP priorities, namely: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

climate change: the European Climate Change Programme (and any successor) 

nature  and  bio-diversity:  The  NATURA  2000  network  (complementary  to  but  not 
over-lapping  with  rural  development  and  cohesion  policy  instruments)  such  as 
innovative  approaches  to  site  management  and  planning  and  management  costs  for 
certain  sites,  including  new  sites  or  those  not  covered  by  either  structural  or  rural 
development fund provisions; the reversal of the decline in bio-diversity by 2010 and 
monitoring of forests and environmental inter-actions in the Community, as well as 
forest fire prevention measures. 

environment  and  health:  including  the  Environment  and  Health  Action  plan,  the 
Water  Framework  Directive,  Clean  Air  for  Europe  (CAFÉ)  and  the  Marine,  Soil, 
Urban and Pesticides Thematic Strategies. 

sustainable  use  of  resources:  the  resources  and  waste  prevention  and  recycling 
thematic strategies, sustainable production and consumption strategies. 

strategic  approaches  to  policy  development,  implementation  and  enforcement: 
including environmental impact assessment and strategic environmental assessment;  

ex-post evaluation of Community environmental policy measures. 

2. Actions 

The following types of activities may be covered by the LIFE +: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

studies, surveys, modelling and scenario building  

monitoring 

capacity building assistance 

training, workshops and meetings 

networking 

best practice platforms 

awareness raising campaigns 

information and communication actions 

demonstration of policy approaches and instruments. 

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ANNEX 2 

Indicative Financial Breakdown 

(percentage of total) 

The amounts allocated to each of the two components of LIFE are indicatively the following: 

LIFE + Implementation and governance: 

75-80% 

LIFE + Information and communication: 

20-25% 

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ANNEX 3 

Criteria for Delegation of Budget Implementation Tasks 

The Commission shall ensure the implementation of the Community actions provided for by 
the LIFE + Programme. 

Budget  implementation  tasks  may  be  delegated  to  national  public-sector  bodies  or  bodies 
governed by private law with a public-service mission. 

These competent authorities or agencies (hereafter referred to as ‘national agencies’) shall be 
designated by the Commission in agreement with the Member States, or by the Member State 
itself,  in  conformity  with  the  provisions  of  Articles  54(2)(c)  and  56  of  Council  Regulation 
(EC,  Euratom)  No  1605/2002  and  of  Articles  38  and  39  of  Commission  Regulation  (EC, 
Euratom) No 2342/2002. 

The Commission shall analyse the compliance with the principles of economy, effectiveness 
and efficiency. Before proceeding to implement the delegation, the Commission shall ensure, 
by mean of a prior assessment, that delegation of funds to national agencies is in compliance 
with  sound  financial  management  and  enhance  the  visibility  of  the  Community  action. 
Moreover, the Commission shall request the opinion of the competent committee provided for 
in article 12 of this Regulation. 

The designation of these national agencies shall be in accordance with the following criteria: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

an  organisation  established  or  designated  as  a  national  agency  shall  have  legal 
personality, and be governed by the law of the Member State concerned; 

national  agencies  must  have  an  adequate  number  of  staff,  with  professional 
capacities in the field of environment policy; 

they must have an appropriate infrastructure, in particular as regards informatics and 
communications; 

they must operate in an administrative context which enables them to carry out their 
tasks satisfactorily and to avoid conflicts of interest; 

they must be in a position to apply the financial  management  rules  and  contractual 
conditions laid down at Community level; 

they  must  offer  adequate  financial  guarantees,  issued  preferably  by  a  public 
authority,  and  their  management  capacity  must  be  appropriate  to  the  level  of 
Community funds they will be called upon to manage. 

The Commission shall conclude an agreement with each national agency, in accordance with 
article  41  of  the  Implementing  Rules  (of  the  Financial  Regulation),  setting  out  detailed 
provisions  covering,  inter  alia,  the  definition  of  the  tasks,  the  rules  on  reporting,  the 
demarcation  of  responsibilities  and  the  arrangements  for  control.  The  agencies  shall  respect 
the principles of transparency, equality of treatment and of the avoidance of double-funding 
with other sources of Community funds, and the obligation to monitor projects and to recover 
any funds due for reimbursement by beneficiaries. 

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19 

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Moreover, the Commission shall certify that each Member State takes the necessary steps to 
ensure  the  appropriate  audit  and  financial  oversight  of  the  national  agency,  providing  the 
Commission – before the national agency starts the operations - with the necessary assurances 
as to the existence, relevance and proper operation within it, in accordance with the rules of 
sound financial management. 

The  national  agencies  shall  be  responsible  for  the  funds  not  recovered,  in  the  event  of 
irregularity, negligence or fraud imputable to the national agency. 

The Commission, in cooperation with the Member States, shall ensure the transition between 
the  actions  carried  out  within  the  context  of  the  preceding  programmes  in  the  fields  of 
environment and those to be implemented under the LIFE+ Programme. 

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LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL STATEMENT 

Policy area: 07 Environment 

Activity: Environmental Programmes and Projects 

TITLE  OF  ACTION:  FINANCIAL  INSTRUMENT  FOR  THE  ENVIRONMENT  –  LIFE  PLUS 

(2007-2013) 

1. 

BUDGET LINE(S) + HEADING(S) 

07 03 10 (operational) 

07 01 04 05 (administrative) 

[indicative budget lines; to be created in the future budget]  

2. 

OVERALL FIGURES 

2.1. 

Total allocation for action (Part B): € 2,190 million  

2.2. 

Period of application: 2007-2013  

2.3. 

Overall multi annual estimate of expenditure: 

(a) 

Schedule  of  commitment  appropriations/payment  appropriations 
intervention) (see point 6.1.1) 

(financial 

€ million (to three decimal places) 

2007  2008 

200
9 

2010

2011  2012  2013  2014
> 

Tot 

Commitments 

231 

252 

275 

294 

314 

336 

359 

2061 

Payments 

90 

220 

240 

250 

270 

296 

320 

375 

2061 

(b) 

Technical and administrative assistance and support expenditure (see point 6.1.2) 

Commitments 

Payments 

14 

14 

16 

16 

17 

19 

17 

19 

20 

20 

21 

21 

22 

22 

129 

129 

Subtotal a+b 

Commitments 

Payments 

245 

104 

268 

292 

313 

334 

357 

381 

2190 

236 

257 

269 

290 

317 

342 

375 

2190 

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(c) 

Overall  financial  impact  of  human  resources  and  other  administrative  expenditure  
(see points 7.2 and 7.3) 

Commitments/ payments 

6.8 

6.9 

7.0 

7.2 

7.3 

7.5 

7.6 

50.3 

TOTAL a+b+c 

2007 

2008 

2009 

2010 

2011 

2012 

2013 

Total

2014 
-> 

Commitments 

251.8  274.9

299 

320.2

341.3

364.5

388.6 

Payments 

105.8  242.9

264 

276.2

297.3

324.5

349.6 

375 

2240.3 

2240.3 

2.4. 

Compatibility with financial programming and financial perspective 

[X]  Proposal is compatible with existing/proposed financial programming. 

This  proposal  is  compatible  with  the  Commission  proposal  for  the  Financial 
perspectives  2007-2013  [COM(2004)101  final  of  10.02.2004].  It  is  included  within 
the new Heading 2 “Conservation and management of natural resources” 

Participation  of  EFTA  countries  (members  of  the  EEA),  candidate  countries 
associated to the EU, as well as to the Western Balkans countries as provided for in 
Art  (7)  will  be  covered  by  Heading  4  in  line  with  the  Communication  on  the 
Financial Perspectives 2007-2013 [COM (2004) 487 final]. 

2.5. 

Financial impact on revenue: 

[X]  Proposal  has  no  financial  implications  (involves  technical  aspects  regarding 

implementation of a measure) 

OR 

Proposal has financial impact – the effect on revenue is as follows: 

3. 

BUDGET CHARACTERISTICS 

Type of expenditure 

New 

EFTA 
contribution 

Contributions 
from applicant 
countries 

Heading in 
financial 
perspective 

Non-
comp 

Diff & Non-
differentiated 

4. 

LEGAL BASIS  

YES 

YES  

YES 

No 2 

Pursuant to Articles 174 & 175 of the EC Treaty. 

EN 

22 

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5. 

DESCRIPTION AND GROUNDS 

5.1. 

Need for Community intervention  

5.1.1.  Objectives pursued 

The  general  objective  of  LIFE  +  shall  be  to  contribute  to  the  development,  implementation 
monitoring  and  evaluation  of  Community  environment  policy  and  legislation,  in  its  internal 
dimension,  as  a  contribution  to  promoting  sustainable  development  in  the  Community. 
Financial  interventions  are  also  open  to  EFTA  countries  (members  of  the  EEA),  candidate 
countries associated to the EU, as well as to the Western Balkans countries. 

LIFE+  will  support  in  particular  the  implementation  of  the  6th  Environmental  Action 
Programme  which  aims  at  combating  climate  change,  halting  the  decline  in  nature  and  bio-
diversity, improving environment, health and the quality of life and promoting the sustainable 
use  and  management  of  natural  resources  and  wastes.  It  will  support,  inter  alia,  the 
implementation  of  the  EC  Climate  Change  programme,  the  environment  and  health  action 
plan, and actions coming out of the thematic strategies (air quality, urban environment, soils, 
marine environment, pesticides, sustainable use of resources and waste recycling). 

5.1.2.  Measures taken in connection with ex ante evaluation  

DGENV  did  not  foresee  an  ex-ante  evaluation  for  LIFE+  in  its  evaluation  programme  for 
2004.  In  light  of  the  decisions  taken  by  the  Commission  in  the  context  of  the  2007-2013 
Financial Perspectives, this work has had to be carried out at an earlier stage than originally 
envisaged. 

The ex-ante assessment shows that support for the environment at Community level through a 
dedicated instrument for the environment is relevant and justified –as an integral ingredient in 
the  Lisbon/Gothenburg  strategies.  A  dedicated  instrument  for  the  environment  will  support 
actions  which  provide  value  added  at  EU  level.  There  will  be  the  assurance  of  an  adequate 
level of efficiency, provided that the various dedicated environment programmes are merged 
into one instrument. 

The  objectives  of  the  dedicated  instrument  for  the  environment,  LIFE+  are  specifically 
targeted on improving policy development and implementation as a contribution to achieving 
wider Treaty and strategic environment policy goals set out in the 6th Environmental Action 
Programme.  Operational  objectives  have  been  identified,  with  examples  of  related  output 
indicators  provided.  The  programme  will  be  focused  on  the  main  stakeholders  involved  in 
building  the  environmental  knowledge  base,  implementing  policy  and  disseminating 
information. 

A single instrument will be more effective in supporting environmental policy objectives. It 
will  allow  DG  ENV  to  rationalise  and  streamline,  bringing  the  management  of  similar 
activities (e.g. training, networking, monitoring support etc) under one framework in support 
of  the  achievement  of  environment  policy  objectives.  One  fund  will  facilitate  a  better 
matching  of  resources  and  policy  priorities.  This  will  reinforce  the  coherence  of  actions 
funded at Community level. 

The  multi-annual  programming  framework,  suggested  for  the  dedicated  instrument  for  the 
environment  will  result  in  increased  coherence  and  complementarity  in  the  delivery  of 

EN 

23 

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activities.  These  programmes  should  be  accompanied  by  a  logical  framework  with  specific 
objectives  and  related  indicators  to  facilitate  monitoring  and  evaluation.  Details  on 
implementation  will  be  set  out  in  programme  guidelines.  In  order  to  achieve  cost 
effectiveness, these provisions should aim at simplifying delivery mechanisms, optimising the 
use of human resources, while maintaining sound financial management. All actions will have 
to meet broad eligibility criteria, including demonstration of EU value added and respect of 
subsidiarity, complementarity and proportionality. 

In general, the specific policy support nature of LIFE+ should not lend itself to duplication or 
overlap  with  other  Community  programmes.  However,  special  attention  will  be  paid  in 
programme delivery to ensure that duplication is avoided. 

5.2. 

Action envisaged and budget intervention arrangements 

In order to achieve the main objectives described under 5.1 above, LIFE+ will be divided into 
2 strands: 

(1) 

LIFE Implementation and Governance, which will: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

contribute  to  the  development  and  demonstration  of  innovative  policy 
approaches  and  instruments  including  promotion  of  successful  research 
results. 

contribute  to  consolidating  the  knowledge  base  for  the  development, 
assessment,  monitoring  and  evaluation,  including  ex-post  evaluation  of 
environmental policy and legislation (through i.a studies, modelling and 
scenario building); 

support the design and implementation of approaches to monitoring and 
assessment of the state of the environment and the drivers, pressures and 
responses that impact on it; 

facilitate  the  implementation  of  Community  environment  policy,  with  a 
particular  emphasis  on  implementation  at  local  and  regional  level, 
through i.a. capacity building, exchange of best practice and networking, 
development of training modules and/or programmes; 

provide  support  for  better  environmental  governance,  broadening 
stakeholder 
that  of  environment  non-
including 
governmental organisations, in policy consultation and implementation; 

involvement, 

(2) 

LIFE Information and Communication, which will: 

– 

– 

disseminate information and raise awareness on environmental issues; 

support  accompanying  measures  (such  as  publications,  events, 
campaigns, conferences,etc);  

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In order to achieve the main objectives, the Decision establishing LIFE+ foresees a range of 
possible actions. LIFE+ will support those activities which have:  

•  European  added  value:  it  will  intervene  only  where  there  is  a  clear  EU  value 

added and contributes to economies of scale on a European level. 

•  leverage  or  multiplier  effect:  it  will  provide  a  co-funding  mechanism  with 
Member  States,  regional  or  local  authorities  and  other  public  and  private 
operators.  

•  catalytic or demonstrative character: LIFE + will support actions that show novel 

ways to approach and implement environment policy; 

•  long  term  perspective:  LIFE  +  interventions  will  be  investments  for  the  future. 
They  will  aim  at  setting  the  foundations  for  sustainability  e.g.  building  the 
knowledge base) 

In the main, these will be: 

•  Analytical activities: 

This type of actions will cover the carrying out of studies, surveys, evaluations, the 
elaboration  of  guides  and  reports  and  the  development  of  common  methodologies 
and indicators. 

•  Policy support actions: 

This  type  of  intervention  will  cover,  inter  alia,  the  financing  of  key  networks  (and 
notably  those  that  facilitate  stakeholder  involvement  throughout  the  policy  cycle); 
the  funding  of  non-governmental  organisations;  demonstration  actions;  workshops, 
training  and other seminars  and  capacity building initiatives; and, exchange  of best 
practice,  all  of  which  aims  at  underpinning  the  preparation  and  implementation  of 
environment policy. 

•  Environmental Awareness and Dissemination activities: 

This type of actions will cover among others the organisation of conferences, media 
campaigns,  events,  outreach  (environment  help  desks)  and  awareness  raising  in 
support of the implementation of EC environment law and policy.  

5.3 

Methods of implementation 

The  programme  will  be  mainly  managed  directly  by  the  Commission.  The  types  of  actions 
may be financed either by: 

•  Public procurement contracts  

•  Grant agreements 

However,  part  of  the  programme  may  be  implemented  through  the  delegation  of  budget 
implementation  tasks  to  national  public-sector  bodied  or  bodies  governed  by  law  with  a 

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public-sector  mission,  on  the  basis  of  national  plans  submitted  each  year  (following  multi-
annual strategic programmes). 

Technical and financial assistance will be provided, covering the whole life-cycle of projects: 
this  will  increase  the  efficiency  of  the  implementation  of  the  programme,  due  to  the 
availability  of  scientific  and  technical  expertise,  and  the  potential  higher  proximity  to  the 
projects to be funded. 

6. 

FINANCIAL IMPACT 

6.1. 

Total financial impact on (ex) part B (over the entire programming period) 

6.1.1.  Financial intervention 

2007 

2008 

2009 

2010 

2011 

2012 

2013 

TOT 

LIFE + Impl. & Gov. 

185 

202 

220 

235 

252 

269 

287 

1650 

LIFE + Inf. & Comm. 

46 

50 

55 

59 

62 

67 

72 

411 

TOTAL 

231 

252 

275 

294 

314 

336 

359 

2061 

6.1. 2.  Technical  and  administrative  assistance,  support  expenditure  and  IT  expenditure 

(commitment appropriations) 

The  estimated  breakdown  is  given  for  one  year  (2007).  This  breakdown  should  not  differ 
substantially over the whole period. 

1)  Technical  and  administrative 
assistance (ATA): 

a) Bureaux d’assistance 

technique (BAT) 
b) Other technical and administrative 
assistance: 

- intra-muros: 

- extra-muros: 

Sub-total 1 

2) Support expenditure 

a) Studies 

b) Meetings of experts 

c) Information and  

publications 

2007 

8.0 

3.8 

1.2 

1.0 

Sub-total 2 

TOTAL 

14 

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The  development  of  IT  applications  related  to  the  programmes  will  be  carried  out  through 
service contracts (public procurement procedures) funded via the operational budget 

6.2. 

Calculation of the costs by type of measure/action planned in (ex) part B (for the 
whole programming period) 

At this point in time it is not possible to provide either an accurate estimate of the number of 
projects  envisaged  for  each  year,  or  the  average  cost  of  each  measure.  The  table  6.2  below 
indicates  the  expected  breakdown  of  the  annual  allocation  for  one  year  (2007)  by  type  of 
intervention. 

Among the priority areas of intervention are: Natura 2000, Climate change and the Thematic 
Strategies. 

The sum of the different measures proposed will remain within the allocation granted to the 
ENV policy area, following the annual budget procedure. 

Breakdown 

Total cost for one year (2007) 

Commitments in € million 

(cid:131)  Building knowledge base 

(studies, 
support) 

surveys,  models, 

informatics 

35 (15%) 

(cid:131)  Capacity building and implementation 

(training, 
workshops, project funding) 

networking, 

dissemination, 

(cid:131)  Information and communication 

raising 

events, 

campaigns, 
desks, 

help 

(Awareness 
conferences, 
publications) 

(cid:131)  Others 

Total cost 

139 (60%) 

46 (20%) 

11 (5%) 

231 

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7. 

IMPACT ON STAFF AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURE 

7.1. 

Impact on human resources 

There will be no additional impact on human resources but an estimate of the staff involved in 
managing the financial side of the programme is as follows: 

Types of post 

A 

B 

C 

Officials 
temporary staff 

or 

Total 

Staff to be assigned to management 
of the action using existing and/or 
additional resources 

Number of permanent posts 

Total 

Description of tasks deriving from the 
action 

37 

31 

17 

85 

7.2. 

Overall financial impact of human resources 

Type of human resources 

Amount (€) 

Method of calculation *  

Officials 

Temporary staff 

Total 

6562.56 K 

37 x  108 000 

31 x 

57 924 

17 x 

45 348 

6562.56 K 

The amounts are total expenditure for twelve months. 

The human and administrative expenditure requested under the LIFE+ programme are in line 
with the current situation for DG Environment. In principle, no extra human resources will be 
required  in  relation  to  this  programme  until  2007:  however,  the  allocation  of  the  resources 
will  depend,  on  one  hand,  by  the  internal  organisation  of  the  new  Commission,  and  on  the 
other hand, by the possible reallocation of the HR between services following the adoption of 
the new financial perspectives.  

In  any  case,  the  level  of  expenditure  for  human  and  administrative  resources  (including  IT 
expenditure) for LIFE+ will remain within the allocation granted by the Budgetary Authority 
each year in the course of the budgetary process for policy area Environment.  

7.3.  Other administrative expenditure deriving from the action 

There  will  be  no  overall  increase  in  the  DG’s  administrative  expenditure  on  meetings  and 
missions.  As  an  indication,  the  following  table  shows  the  likely  costs  of  the  regulatory 
committee  meetings  for  the  programme,  which  will  be  financed  out  of  the  DG’s  annual 
allocation for this type of expenditure. 

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Budget line 
(number and heading) 

Overall allocation (Title 07) 
07031 – Committees 1 

07030 – Experts meetings 

07010 – Missions 

Other expenditure (specify) 
Total 

Amount € 

Method of calculation 

4 meetings x 25 members x €1K  

110 missions x €1K  

100K 

110K 

210K 

The amounts are total expenditure for twelve months. 

1 Specify the type of committee and the group to which it belongs. 

I. 

II. 

Annual total (6.2 + 6.3) 

Duration of action 

III. 

Total cost of action (I x II) 

6 772 560 

7 years 

47 407 920* 

This amount is purely indicative. The cost of the 7-year period will not result from the simple 
multiplication  of  the  2007  amount:  a  small  increase  in  the  allocation  is  foreseen  for  every 
subsequent  year  (see  table  2.3(c);  the  amount  for  the  7-year  period  is  estimated  at  €  50.3m 
instead of the € 47.4m resulting from the table above). 

8. 

FOLLOW-UP AND EVALUATION 

8.1. 

Follow-up arrangements 

Each file - grant agreement or market contract – is followed by the responsible Commission 
service.  All  files  are  monitored  during  the  whole  life-cycle.  Beneficiaries  of  community 
grants and/or contributions are required to report to the Commission on the implementation of 
the projects/activities (from both the technical and the financial viewpoint). A report is also 
required  to  contractors  after  the  completion  of  their  work.  All  these  provisions,  including 
modalities, conditions, deliverables, etc. are included in the grant agreements and in the public 
procurement contracts. 

All  the  procedures  for  the  implementation  and  the  follow-up  of  this  programme  will  be  in 
compliance  with  the  provisions  of  Council  Regulation  (EC,  Euratom)  N°  1605/2002  of  25 
June  2002  on  the  Financial  Regulation  applicable  to  the  general  budget  of  the  European 
Communities. 

8.2 

Arrangements and schedule for the planned evaluation 

As  provided  for  under  Article  13  of  the  Regulation,  the  multi-annual  programmes  will  be 
monitored regularly in order to follow the implementation of activities carried out under each 
strand.  The  programme,  LIFE+,  will  be  subject  to  a  mid-term  and  final  evaluation  in  order 
assess  its  contribution  to  the  development  of  Community  environmental  policy  and  the  use 
made  of  the  appropriations.  The  final  evaluation  will  be  carried  out  not  later  than  one  year 
before the programme ends and shall be submitted to the EP and the Council 

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9. 

ANTI-FRAUD MEASURES 

As  stated  in  point  8.1  above,  potential  beneficiaries  and  contractors  shall  comply  with  the 
provisions  of  the  Financial  Regulation  and  provide  the  evidence  of  their  financial  and  legal 
soundness. 

For  grants,  they  are  required  to  supply  provisional  statements  of  income  and  expenditure 
related to the project/activity for which funding is requested. Payments are made on the basis 
of the terms and conditions related to the grant agreement and on the basis of expenditure and 
income statements duly certified by the beneficiary and checked by the relevant service of the 
Commission. On the spot controls are also possible and beneficiaries are required to keep all 
details and supporting documents for a period of 5 years after the completion of the project. 

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