LIFE: Environmental and Climate Action

The new LIFE Programme with two subprogrammes: one for Environment and one for Climate Action. The creation of a subprogramme for Climate Action upgrades the former thematic strand "climate change" under the LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance component.
LIFE Programme is a catalyst for promoting implementation and integration of environmental and climate objectives in other policies and Member State practice.

  • To contribute to the shift towards a resource-efficient, low-carbon and climateresilient economy, to the protection and improvement of the quality of the environment and to halting and reversing biodiversity loss;
  • To improve the development, implementation and enforcement of Union environmental and climate policy and legislation, and to catalyse and promote integration and mainstreaming of environmental and climate objectives into other Union policies and public and private sector practice, including by increasing their capacity;
  • To support better environmental and climate governance at all levels.
Status
running
Target Group
Organizations
Activities
Demonstration and investment activities
Subjects
Environment
Source Regions
European Union
Source Countries
-
Eligible Regions
European Union
Eligible Countries
-
Grant Types
Cooperation, collaboration
Funding Bodies
-
Languages
Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Irish Gaelic, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish
Support Types
-
Deadline Date
-
Programme
-
Programme Owner
European Commission
Managing Authority
Climate Action Department
About
-
Services
-
Website
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/index.htm
Legal Source
-
Supporting Programme
-
Resources
http://
Refering Grants
-
Annual
yes
Focus

The LIFE Climate Action sub-programme has three priority areas.

LIFE Priority area Focus
LIFE Climate change mitigation Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
LIFE Climate change adaptation Increasing resilience to climate change
LIFE Climate change governance and Information Increasing awareness, communication, cooperation and dissemination of information on climate mitigation and adaptation actions
Duration

2014-2020

Proposal Submission

Supported activities

Sub-programme for Environment (€2 592 million in current prices)

Environment and Resource Efficiency

  • To develop, test and demonstrate policy or management approaches, best practices, and solutions to environmental challenges, suitable for being replicated, transferred or mainstreamed, including with respect to the link between environment and health, and in support of resource efficiency-related policy and legislation, including the Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe;
  • To support the application, development, testing and demonstration of integrated approaches for the implementation of plans and programmes pursuant to Union environmental policy and legislation, primarily in the areas of water, waste and air;
  • To improve the knowledge base for the development, assessment, monitoring and evaluation of Union environmental policy and legislation, and for the assessment and monitoring of the factors, pressures and responses that impact on the environment within and outside the Union.

Nature and Biodiversity

  • To contribute to the implementation of Union policy and legislation in the area of biodiversity, including the Union Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, in particular by applying, developing,testing and demonstrating approaches, best practices and solutions;
  • To support the further development, implementation and management of the Natura 2000 network set up, in particular the application, development, testing and demonstration of integrated approaches for the implementation of the Prioritised Action Frameworks;
  • To improve the knowledge base for the development, assessment, monitoring and evaluation of Union biodiversity policy and legislation, and for the assessment and monitoring of the factors, pressures and responses that impact on the biodiversity within and outside the Union.

Environmental Governance and Information

  • To promote awareness raising on environmental matters, including generating public and stakeholders support to Union policy-making in the field of environment, and to promote education for sustainable development;
  • To support communication, management, and dissemination of information in the field of environment, and to facilitate knowledge sharing on successful environmental solutions and practice, including by developing cooperation platforms between stakeholders and training;
  • To promote and contribute to a more effective compliance with and enforcement of Union environmental legislation, in particular by promoting the development and dissemination of best practices and policy approaches;
  • To promote better environmental governance by broadening stakeholder involvement, including NGOs, in policy consultation and implementation


Sub-programme for Climate Action (€ 864 million)

Climate Change Mitigation

  • To contribute to the implementation and development of Union policy and legislation on mitigation, including mainstreaming across policy areas, in particular by developing, testing and demonstrating policy or management approaches, best practices and solutions for climate change mitigation;
  • To improve the knowledge base for the development, assessment, monitoring, evaluation and implementation of effective mitigation actions and measures and to enhance the capacity to apply that knowledge in practice;
  • To facilitate the development and implementation of integrated approaches, such as for mitigation strategies and action plans, at local, regional or national level;
  • To contribute to the development and demonstration of innovative mitigation technologies, systems, methods and instruments that are suitable for being replicated, transferred or mainstreamed.

Climate Change Adaptation

  • To contribute to the development and implementation of Union policy and legislation on adaptation, including mainstreaming across policy areas, in particular by developing, testing and demonstrating policy or management approaches, best practices, and solutions, for climate change adaptation;
  • To improve the knowledge base for the development, assessment, monitoring, evaluation and implementation of effective adaptation actions and measures and to enhance the capacity to apply that knowledge in practice;
  • To facilitate the development and implementation of integrated approaches, such as for adaptation strategies and action plans, at local, regional or national level;
  • To contribute to the development and demonstration of innovative adaptation technologies, systems, methods and instruments that are suitable for being replicated, transferred or mainstreamed.

Climate Governance and Information

  • And stakeholders support to Union policy-making in the field of climate, and to promote education for sustainable development;
  • To support communication, management, and dissemination of information in the field of climate and to facilitate knowledge sharing on successful climate solutions and practice, including by developing cooperation platforms between stakeholders and training;
  • To promote and contribute to a more effective compliance with and enforcement of Union climate legislation, in particular by promoting the development and dissemination of best practices and policy approaches;
  • To promote better climate governance by broadening stakeholder involvement, including NGOs, in policy consultation and implementation


Implementation

LIFE remains centrally managed. The Commission will explore the possibility of delegating to a large extent the selection and monitoring tasks to the European Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation, while keeping the governance of the LIFE Programme within the Commission.The LIFE Programme will cover all types of funding required to address its objectives and priorities. In particular, action grants to finance projects represent the main financial intervention. Operating grants for NGOs and other entities of Union interest which are primarily active in the area of environment or climate are also possible. The LIFE Programme allows the use of financial instruments. The Commission will encourage the use of green public procurement when implementing action grants.

Union funding may take the following legal forms:

(a)grants;

(b)public procurement contracts;

(c)contributions to financial instruments in accordance with provisions on financial instruments under Regulation (EU, Euratom) No966/2012, in particular Articles 139 and 140 thereof, and with operational requirements set out in specific Union acts;

(d) any other interventions needed for the purpose of achieving the general objectives setout in Article 3.

 

At least 81 % of the budgetary resources for the LIFE Programme shall be allocated to projects supported by way of action grants. The Commission may include those financial instruments as part of the multiannual work programme referred to in Article 24, subject to an ex-ante evaluation. A maximum of 30% of the budgetary resources allocated to action grants may be allocated to integrated projects.
Action grants may finance the following projects:
(a) pilot projects;
(b) demonstration projects;
(c) best practice projects;
(d) integrated projects primarily in the areas of nature, water, waste, air, and
climate change mitigation and adaptation;
(e) technical assistance projects;

(f) capacity-buidling projects';
(g) preparatory projects;
(h) information, awareness and dissemination projects;
(i) any other projects needed for the purpose of achieving the objectives.

Operating grants shall support certain operational and administrative costs of nonprofit making entities.

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Terms And Conditions

Legal basis: Regulation (EU) No 1293/2013 establishing a Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE Programme)
Link: Regulation

Budget

€ 3 456 million in current prices

Available Calls
-
Total Funding Amount

The overall budget for the implementation of the LIFE Programme is €3.457 billion for the period 2014-2020, 75% of which is allocated to the sub-programme for environment (€2,592,491,250) and 25% to the sub-programme for climate action (€864,163,750). €449.2 million is allocated to climate action for 2014-2017. Of this, €44.26 million will be available for the 2014 call for proposals.

Selection Criteria

The LIFE Programme may fund public and private bodies.

 

The LIFE Programme shall be open to the participation of the following countries:

  • European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries which are parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA);
  • Candidate countries, potential candidates and acceding countries to the Union
  • Countries to which the European Neighbourhood Policy applies;
  • Countries which have become members of the European Environmental Agency.
Open To

EU countries.

Notes