LIFE and Europe's rivers : protecting and improving our water resources.
Date: 2007-07-02
Institutions: Directorate-General for Environment
Subjects: EU environmental policy, environmental monitoring, environmental protection, water management, watercourse

L I F E   I I I

LIFE and Europe’s rivers

Protecting and improving our water resources 

colours C/M/Y/K

32/49/79/21

Attention version papier ajouter

LIFE Focus  I  LIFE and Europe’s rivers

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 - E.4).

The contents of the publication “LIFE and Europe’s rivers: Protecting and improving our water resources” do not necessarily 

reflect the opinions of the institutions of the European Union.

Authors: Wendy Jones, Jon Eldridge, João Pedro Silva (technical expert), Nora Schiessler. Editorial department: Eric Sarvan 
(Astrale GEIE-AEIDL). Managing editor: Philip Owen (European Commission, DG Environment, LIFE Unit). LIFE Focus series 
coordination: Simon Goss (DG Environment, LIFE Communications Coordinator), Evelyne Jussiant (DG Environment, Communi-
cations Coordinator). Graphic design: Daniel Renders, Anita Cortés. Production: Christine Charlier. The following people also 
worked on this issue: Michael Oliver, Mickaëlle Rousseleau, Cornelia Schmitz, Gillian Storey, Jon Taylor, Audrey Thénard, Georgia 
Valaoras. Acknowledgements: Thanks to all LIFE project beneficiaries who contributed comments, photos and other useful 
material for this report. Photos: Unless otherwise specified; photos are from the respective projects. This issue of LIFE Focus 
is published in English with a print-run of 5,000 copies and is also available online.

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Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2007

ISBN 978-92-79-05543-0   

ISSN 1725-5619 

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Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.

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Printed on recycled paper that has been awarded 
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LIFE Focus  I  LIFE and Europe’s rivers  I  p. 4

Available LIFE publications

LIFE-Focus brochures

Other publications

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

LIFE and Energy – Innovative solutions 
for sustainable and efficient energy in 
Europe (2007 – 64pp. ISBN 978 92-79-
04969-9 - ISSN 1725-5619)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/energy/energy_lr.pdf

LIFE and the marine environment  
(2006 – 54pp. ISBN 92-79-03447-2- ISSN 
1725-5619)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/marine/marine_lr.pdf

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/natu-
recommunicating_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/life-
waste_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

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)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/bilanlife/lifeenv992_
2004_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

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/

LIFE-Third  Countries  Projects  2005 
compilation (2005, 19 pp. – ISBN 92-
79-00103-5)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
infoproducts/lifetcycompilation_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-seven 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 

Every year, the Commission publishes a call for proposals of projects to be co-financed.The Commission evaluates  
these proposals and selects those that will be co-financed. It closely monitors these projects and supports  
the dissemination of their results. 

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 D6 Environment E4 (LIFE Unit) B-1049 Brussels 
Internet: http://ec.europa.eu/life

LIFE Focus / LIFE and Europe’s rivers: Protecting and improving our water resources

Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities

2007 - 52p - 21 x 29.7 cm
ISBN 978-92-79-05543-0
ISSN 1725-5619 

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