Brussels, 26/01/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 26 January, the European Commission announced an investment of €63.8 million for the six first-ever “Integrated Projects” to be funded under the LIFE programme for the environment. The six projects have a total budget of €108.7 million.
The “Integrated Projects” were introduced under the LIFE programme for the environment to implement environmental legislation on a wider scale than individual member states and increase the impact of funding for plans developed on the regional, multi-regional or national level in four areas: nature, water, air and waste. In a press release from Karmenu Vella, EU commissioner for the environment, maritime affairs and fisheries, he explained that it would provide an example of how “To best tackle major environmental and health challenges”.
The projects will benefit from EU co-financing and were selected in six member states (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the United Kingdom). Their implementation will help facilitate the coordinated use of more than €1 billion from EU agricultural and regional funds. National and private funds could possibly also be mobilised and coordinated through these projects.
The Integrated Projects in Belgium, Finland and Italy will help conserve Europe's nature. The Nature projects have a combined budget of €56.3 million, of which €33.3 million is EU-funded. The projects can facilitate the coordinated use of €393 million of complementary funding, such as for infrastructure through other available EU funds, in the management of environmentally protected Natura 2000 sites.
The Integrated Projects in Germany and the UK will contribute to the implementation of River Basin Management Plans, while the project in Poland will support implementation of a regional Air Quality Plan. Together, these three projects have a combined budget of €52.4 million, of which €30.4 million is EU-funded, and could facilitate the coordinated use of over €1 billion of complementary funding. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)