Brussels, 09/09/2004 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday, the European Commission approved the funding of 109 environmental projects in 18 Member States under the LIFE-Environment 2004 programme. Selected projects apply ground-breaking technologies to tackle environmental problems in several areas, thus contributing to improving Europe's environment. LIFE-Environment is one of the three funding strands under the EU's environmental funding programme LIFE whose goal is to support the implementation of EU environmental policies and legislation. (See also other articles).
The EUR 76 million to be granted to 109 projects selected this year by the EU cover around 33% of the costs of the projects. The remaining 67% will be financed by beneficiaries, partners and other co-financiers. Integrated product policy takes the lead with 29 projects in this area (26% of projects selected). Out of those, 18 projects target integrated environmental management audit systems (EMAS), while others deals with eco-design, eco-efficiency, eco-labelling and green financial products. Twenty-four projects (21% of those selected) aim to mitigate the environmental impact of economic activities covering clean technologies and reduction of greenhouse gases. A further 22 projects (19%) focus on integrated environmental considerations, which includes urban environment, air quality and noise abatement, integrated coastal zone management, land-use development and planning and sustainable tourism. Sustainable management of water resources follows with 20 projects (17%), which cover river basin management, groundwater protection, wastewater treatment and diffuse and dispersed sources of pollution. Finally, 18 projects (17%) are about prevention, recycling and sound management of waste, dealing with packaging and plastics, hazardous and problematic waste, waste in great volume and management of waste streams. For further information on the projects and their location, consult: http: //http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/environment/life/project/index.htm.