LIFE and the marine environment : promoting sustainable management of Europe's seas.
Date: 2007-01-24
Institutions: Directorate-General for Environment
Subjects: EU environmental policy, environmental protection, management of resources, marine ecosystem, marine environment, sustainable development

L I F E   I I I

LIFE and the marine environment

Promoting sustainable management of Europe’s seas

European Commission

European Commission
Environment Directorate-General

LIFE (“The Financial Instrument for the Environment”) is a programme launched by the European Commission and coordinated 
by the Environment Directorate-General (LIFE Unit - BU-9 02/1).

The content of the publication “LIFE and the marine environment” does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the institutions of 

the European Union.

Authors: João Pedro Silva (Technical expert), Wendy Jones, Jon Eldridge, Eric Sarvan (Astrale GEIE-AEIDL, Communications 
Team Coordinator). Managing Editor: Philip Owen, European Commission, Environment DG, LIFE Unit - BU-9, 02/1, 200 rue de 
la Loi, B-1049 Brussels. LIFE Focus series coordination: Simon Goss (LIFE Communications Coordinator), Evelyne Jussiant (DG 
Environment Communications Coordinator). The following people also worked on this issue: Michael Oliver, José Rizo-Martin, 
Placido Hernandez Aguilar, Stephen Gardner, Aixa Sopeña, Iñigo Ortiz de Urbina, João Salgado, Georgia Valaoras, Marco Fritz, 
Olivier Coppieters, Maxime Schreiber. Graphic design: Daniel Renders. Production: Christine Charlier. Photos: From the respec-
tive LIFE projects unless otherwise specified. Acknowledgements: Thanks to all LIFE project beneficiaries who have contributed 
comments, photos and other useful material for this report. 

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A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the Internet.
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Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2006

ISBN 92-79-03447-2 

ISSN 1725-5619 

© European Communities, 2006

Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.

Printed in Belgium

Printed on recycled paper

LIFE Focus  I  LIFE and the marine environment  I  p. 

Available LIFE publications

LIFE-Focus brochures

Other publications

A number of LIFE publications are 
available on the LIFE website:

LIFE and European forests (2006 - 68pp. 
ISBN 92-79-02255-5 - ISSN 1725-5619)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/forests/forest_lr.pdf

LIFE in the City – Innovative solutions 
for Europe’s urban environment (2006, 
64pp.  -  ISBN  92-79-02254-7  –  ISSN 
1725-5619)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/urban/urban_lr.pdf

Integrated management of Natura 2000 
sites (2005 - 48 pp. – ISBN 92-79-00388-
7)  http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/ 
infoproducts/managingnatura_highres.pdf

LIFE,  Natura  2000  and  the  military 
(2005  -  86  pp.  –  ISBN  92-894-9213-9 
– ISSN 1725-5619)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/lifeandmilitary_en.pdf

LIFE for birds - 25 years of the Birds 
Directive:  the  contribution  of  LIFE-
Nature projects (2004 - 48 pp. – ISBN 
92-894-7452-1 – ISSN 1725-5619)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/lifeforbirds_en.pdf

The air we breathe - LIFE and the Euro-
pean Union clean air policy (2004 - 32 pp. 
– ISBN 92-894-7899-3 – ISSN 1725-5619)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/focusair/lifeair_hr_en.pdf

LIFE-Nature:  communicating  with 
stakeholders and the general public 
- Best practice examples for Natura 
2000  (2004  -  72  pp.  –  ISBN  92-894-
7898-5 – ISSN 1725-5619) 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/naturecommunicating_
lowres_en.pdf

A cleaner, greener Europe - LIFE and 
the European Union waste policy
(2004  -  28  pp.  –  ISBN  92-894-6018-0 
– ISSN 1725-5619)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/lifewaste_en.pdf

Alien  species  and  nature  conserva-
tion in the EU - The role of the LIFE 
programme (2004 - 56 pp. – ISBN 92-
894-6022-9 – ISSN 1725-5619)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/alienspecies_en.pdf

Industrial  pollution,  European  solu-
tions: clean technologies - LIFE and 
the Directive on integrated pollution 
prevention and control (IPPC Direc-
tive)  (2003  -  32  pp.  –  ISBN  92-894-
6020-2 – ISSN 1725-5619)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/cleantechnologies_en.pdf

LIFE and agri-environment support-
ing Natura 2000 - Experience from the 
LIFE programme (2003 - 72 pp. – ISBN 
92-894-6023-7 – ISSN N° 1725-5619)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/agrienvironmentreport_
en.pdf

LIFE for Natura 2000 - 10 years imple-
menting the regulation (2003 - 108 pp. 
– ISBN 92-894-4337-5)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/lifepournatura2000_en.pdf

A sustainable approach for the envi-
ronment  -  LIFE  and  the  Community 
Eco-Management and Audit Scheme 
(EMAS) (2003 - 32 pp. – ISBN 92-894-
0543-0)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/emas_en.pdf

Water,  an  essential  resource  -  LIFE 
and  the  new  European  water  policy 
(2002 - 28 pp. – ISBN 92-894-0538-4)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/water_en.pdf

A number of printed copies of cer-

tain  LIFE  publications  are  availa-

ble  and  can  be  ordered  free-of-

charge  at:  http://ec.europa.eu/ 

environment/env-informa/

Best LIFE-Environment Projects 2005-
2006 (2006, 40 pp. – ISBN 92-79-02123-
0)  http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/ 
infoproducts/bestlifeenv/bestenv_0506_
lr.pdf 

Best LIFE-Environment Projects 2004-
2005 (2005, 44 pp. – ISBN 92-79-00889-7) 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/bestlifeenv/bestenv.pdf

LIFE-Environment 1992 – 2004 “Dem-
onstrating excellence in environmen-
tal innovation” (2005, 124 pp. – ISBN 
92-894-7699-3 – ISSN 1725-5619)
h t t p : / / e c . e u r o p a . e u / e n v i r o n -
m e n t / l i f e / i n f o p r o d u c t s / b i l a n l i f e / 
lifeenv992_200_en.pdf

LIFE-Environment in Action. 56 new suc-
cess stories for Europe’s environment 
(2001 -131 pp. – ISBN 92-894-0272-5)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/successstories200_
en.pdf

LIFE-Environment Projects 2006 compi-
lation (2006, 56 pp.-ISBN 92-79-02786-7)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/lifeenvcompilation_06.pdf

LIFE-Nature Projects 2006 compilation 
(2006, 67 pp. – ISBN 92-79-02788-3)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/lifenatcompilation_06.pdf

LIFE-Third  Countries  Projects  2006 
compilation  (2006,  20  pp.  –  ISBN 
92-79-02787-5)  http://ec.europa.eu/ 
e n v i r o n m e n t / l i f e / i n f o p r o d u c t s / 
lifetcycompilation_06.pdf

LIFE-Environment Projects 2005 compi-
lation (2005, 97 pp.-ISBN 92-79-00104-3)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/lifeenvcompilation_05_
lowres.pdf

LIFE-Nature Projects 2005 compilation 
(2005, 55 pp. – ISBN 92-79-00102-7)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/lifenatcompilation_05_
lowres.pdf

Name LIFE (“L’Instrument Financier pour l’Environnement” / The financial instrument for the environment)

Type of intervention co-financing of actions in favour of the environment in the twenty-five Member States of  

the European Union, in the candidate countries who are associated to LIFE  and in certain third countries bordering  
the Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea.

LIFE is made up of three thematic components: “LIFE-Nature”, “LIFE-Environment” and “LIFE-Third countries”.

Objectives
>  with a view to sustainable development in the European Union, contribute to the drawing up, implementation and 

updating of Community policy and legislation in the area of the environment;

>  explore new solutions to environmental problems on a Community scale.

Beneficiaries any natural or legal person, provided that the projects financed meet the following general criteria:
> 
> 
> 

they are of Community interest and make a significant contribution to the general objectives; 
they are carried out by technically and financially sound participants;
they are feasible in terms of technical proposals, timetable, budget and value for money.

Types of project
>  Eligible for LIFE-Environment are innovative pilot and demonstration projects which bring environment-related  

and sustainable development considerations together in land management, which promote sustainable water and 
waste management or which minimise the environmental impact of economic activities, products and services.  
LIFE-Environment also finances preparatory projects aiming at the development or updating of Community 
environmental actions, instruments, legislation or policies. 

>  Eligible for LIFE-Nature are nature conservation projects which contribute to maintaining or restoring natural habitats 

and/or populations of species in a favourable state of conservation within the meaning of the “Birds” (79/409/EEC)  
and “Habitats” (92/43/EEC) Community Directives and which contribute to the establishment of the European network 
of protected areas – NATURA 2000. LIFE-Nature also finances “co-op” projects aiming to develop the exchange of 
experiences between projects.

>  Eligible for LIFE-Third countries are projects which contribute to the establishment of capacities and administrative 

structures needed in the environmental sector and in the development of environmental policy and action programmes 
in some countries bordering the Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea. 

Implementation National authorities in the Member States or third countries send the Commission the proposals of 

projects to be co-financed (for LIFE-Environment preparatory projects, the applicants send their proposals directly to the 
Commission). The Commission sets the date for sending the proposals annually. It monitors the projects financed and 
supports the dissemination of their results. Accompanying measures enable the projects to be monitored on the ground. 

Period covered (LIFE III) 2000-2006.

Funds from the Community approximately EUR 638 million for 2000-2004 and EUR 317 million for 2005-2006.

Contact

European Commission – Environment Directorate-General
LIFE Unit – BU-9 02/1 – 200 rue de la Loi – B-1049 Brussels – Fax: +32 2 292 17 87 
Internet: http://ec.europa.eu/life

European Commission

Life Focus / LIFE and the marine environment

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