LIFE+ future decided: European Commission welcomes final political agreement on LIFE+

On 27 March 2007, a political agreement on LIFE+ was reached by the Council and the European Parliament in the conciliation meeting.

European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas welcomed the final political agreement reached by the Council and the European Parliament last night on the new ‘LIFE+’ Financial Instrument for the Environment. The overall budget foreseen for LIFE+ is just under € 1.9 billion for the period 2007-2013 (in 2004 prices), i.e. very close to the amount initially proposed by the Commission. 78% of the budget is dedicated to project action grants and at least 50% of this has been reserved for spending on the "nature and biodiversity" part of the Programme.

The European Parliament and EU Member States, represented by the EU Council, achieved a resolution to differences that resulted from the vote in the Parliament's second reading last October. The main point of disagreement was whether the bulk of funds to be made available under LIFE+ should be spent through national agencies established by Member States, or if the programme should be managed centrally by the European Commission, as was the case under the previous phases of the LIFE programme. The LIFE+ regulation is expected to enter into force by September 2007. Currently, the Commission is preparing the information package for LIFE+ applicants (Application guide, Application forms, Evaluation guide, Model Grant Agreement and Common Provisions). The first call for proposals will most probably be opened in autumn 2007.