EU Environmental Policy

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EU Environmental Policy
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Treaty of Amsterdam, Art 174

• Community policy on the environment
• Preserving, protecting and improving the
  quality of the environment
• Protecting human health
• Prudent and rational utilisation of natural
  resources
• Promoting measures at international level to
  deal with regional or worldwide environmental
  problems

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Key principles

• Precautionary principle pollution should be
  rectified at source
• Principle of preventive action
• Polluter pays principle
• Principle of integration
• Utilisation of technical and scientific data

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Sixth Environmental Action Programme 2001-2010

• Environmental Policy
• Innovative in its approach
• Seek new ways of working with a wide
  cross-section of society
• Full enforcement of all existing legislation
• LIFE together with other instruments (EMAS,
  Ecolabel) contributes to an effective
  implementation of the policy

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The LIFE programme
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LIFE III - General Objectives
LIFE co-finances environmental actions that...

• contribute to the implementation, updating and
  development of Community environment policy and
  legislation, in particular as regards the
  integration of the environment into other
  policies, and to sustainable development in the
  Community.

Article 1 of LIFE Regulation
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LIFE III - General Objectives

• The specific objective of LIFE Environment is to
  contribute to the development of innovative
  techniques and methods by co-financing
  demonstration projects that further the
  development of EC environment policy,
• The specific objective of LIFE-Nature is to
  contribute to the implementation of Community
  nature protection legislation the Birds
  Directive and the Habitats Directive, and in
  particular the establishment of the Natura 2000
  network for the in situ management and
  conservation of Europe's most remarkable fauna
  and flora species and habitats.
• The specific objective of LIFE-Third Countries is
  to 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
  third countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea
  and the Baltic Sea.

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The Rules and Regulations

• The LIFE Regulation (1655/2000 amended by
  1682/2004)
• The Special Provisions of the Commissions Grant
  Agreement
• The Common Provisions (CPs)
• Previously known as SAPs
• The project proposal
• Defines scope and objectives of the project
• Contains the baseline for technical and financial
  planning
• Confirms the partnership and management/team
  structure
• Summarises objectives and methods envisaged

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LIFE phases
Launched in 1992

• LIFE I (1992-1995) 400 million
• LIFE II (1996-1999) 450 million
• LIFE III (2000-2004) 640 million
• LIFE III Extension (2005-2006) 317 million

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Budget distribution
In the years 2005-2006

• LIFE-Environment (47 of budget)
• LIFE-Nature (48 of budget)
• LIFE-Third Countries (5 of budget)

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Areas of action
Since 1992
1550 LIFE-Environment projects 969 LIFE-Nature
projects 229 LIFE-Third Countries projects
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LIFE in country

• LIFE Nature projects
• Number, amount
• Good examples
• To be added by MoT

• LIFE Environment projects
• Number, amount
• Good examples
• To be added by MoT