Brussels, 20/09/2005 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has approved funding for 89 environmental innovation projects under the LIFE-Environment programme 2005. These projects, were judged eligible for Community funding under the Life Environment scheme (the financial instrument for the environment) and were selected out of 534 requests submitted to the Commission for funding. They will demonstrate new methods and techniques for dealing with a wide diversity of environmental problems, contributing to improving Europe's environment and constituting decisive criteria in the choice of the projects. They represent a total investment of €220 million, of which the EU will provide €71 million.
Waste management takes the lead this year in terms of the number of projects selected (31) and of the EU funding allocated (€27 million, representing 39% of the total). Minimising the environmental impact of economic activities is the second most popular theme with 22 projects (€17 million). Almost one fifth of the EU funding (€14 million) will be allocated to 17 projects dealing with the sustainable management of groundwater and surface water. Twelve projects deal with sustainable land-use development and planning and will share around €9 million (i.e. 10%) of the EU funding available. Finally, seven projects address the reduction of the environmental impacts of products and services (€5 million).
These projects will be implemented in seventeen European countries, members of the EU or candidate countries: Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, United Kingdom and Sweden.
Since 1992, LIFE 5Life Environment Life Nature and Life third countries- has co-financed some 2 500 projects, contributing €1 500 million to the protection of the environment. The current LIFE programme (“LIFE III”) finishes at the end of 2006. The Commission has proposed a new programme called “LIFE +”, which would run from 2007-2013 with a budget of €2190 million.
See the annex for a summary of the projects funded under LIFE-Environment for 2005 at: the Commission's website: (http: //europa.eu.int/comm/environment/life/project/index.htm).