Funding for Fisheries from European Union?

LIFE+ Call for proposals
The first call for proposals for projects funded under the new LIFE+ programme has been launched.

LIFE+ call for proposals 2007-2008
The first call for proposals for LIFE+ was published in the Official Journal on the 4 October 2007 (OJ C232).

ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES

LIFE+ CALL FOR PROPOSALS 2007 (2007/C 232/05)

The Commission invites legal entities established in the European Union to present proposals for the LIFE+ selection round 2007.

Applications

Proposals must be written on specific application forms. These forms and the application guide that includes detailed explanations in regard to eligibility and procedures can be obtained from the Commission's website on the following address:

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/funding/lifeplus.htm

Proposals must be submitted on CD-ROM or DVD in an electronic PDF format that is based on a scan of the original printed A4 format paper forms.

Beneficiaries

Proposals may be presented by legal entities registered in the Member States of the European Union: Public and/or private bodies, actors and institutions may receive financing through LIFE+.

The following themes are covered by this announcement

1. LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity projects

Principal objective: To protect, conserve, restore, monitor and facilitate the functioning of natural systems, natural habitats, wild flora and fauna, with the aim of halting the loss of biodiversity, including diversity of genetic resources, within the EU by 2010.

2. LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance

Principal objectives:

— Climate change: To stabilise greenhouse gas concentration at a level that prevents global warming above 2 °C.

— Water: To contribute to enhanced water quality by developing cost-effective measures to achieve good ecological status in view of developing the first river basin management plan under Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (Water Framework Directive) by 2009.

— Air: To achieve levels of air quality that do not give rise to significant negative impacts on and risks to human health and the environment.

C 232/10 EN Official Journal of the European Union 4.10.2007

— Soil: To protect and to ensure the sustainable use of soil by preserving soil functions, preventing threats to soil, mitigating their effects and restoring degraded soils.

— Urban environment: To contribute to improving the environmental performance of Europe's urban areas.

— Noise: To contribute to policy development and implementation on environmental noise.

— Chemicals: To improve the protection of environment and health from risks posed by chemicals by 2020 by implementing chemicals legislation, in particular Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council (REACH) and the Thematic Strategy on the sustainable use of pesticides.

— Environment and health: To develop the information base for policy on the environment and health (the Environment and Health Action Plan for 2004 to 2010).

— Natural resources and waste: To develop and implement policies designed to ensure sustainable management and use of natural resources and waste, and to improve the environmental performances of products, sustainable production and consumption patterns, waste prevention, recovery and recycling; To contribute to the effective implementation of the Thematic Strategy on the prevention and recycling of waste.

— Forests: To provide, especially through an EU coordination network, a concise and comprehensive basis for policy relevant information on forests in relation to climate change (impact on forest ecosystems, mitigation, substitution effects), biodiversity (baseline information and protected forest areas), forest fires, forest conditions and the protective functions of forests (water, soil and infrastructure) as well as contributing to the protection of forests against fires.

— Innovation: To contribute to developing and demonstrating innovative policy approaches, technologies, methods and instruments to assist in the implementation of the Environmental Technologies

Action Plan (ETAP).

— Strategic approaches: To promote the effective implementation and enforcement of Community environmental legislation and improve the knowledge base for environmental policy; to improve the environmental performance of SMEs.

Whilst any project proposal dealing with the above-mentioned priorities is welcome, the Commission would favour those dealing with climate change.

3. LIFE+ Information and Communication

Principal objective: To ensure regular and effective information flow to provide the basis for policy decisions on the environment, and to make information on the state and trends of the environment accessible to citizens.

EU Cofinancing rates

1. LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity projects

— The rate of Community financial support shall be a maximum of 50 % of the eligible costs.

— Exceptionally, a maximum cofinancing rate of 75 % is applicable to proposals which target priority habitats/species of the Birds' and Habitats' Directives.

2. LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance

— The rate of Community financial support shall be a maximum of 50 % of the eligible costs.

— This rate shall be a maximum of 30 % of the eligible costs for proposals ‘expected to generate substantial revenue’.

3. LIFE+ Information and Communication

— The rate of Community financial support shall be a maximum of 50 % of the eligible costs.

Deadline

Project proposals shall be submitted to the national competent authorities by 30.11.2007. Project proposals shall be forwarded to the national authority of the Member State in which the beneficiary is registered.

Proposals will then be submitted by the national authorities to the Commission by 15.1.2008.

4.10.2007 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 232/11

Budget involved

The overall budget for project action grants under LIFE+ in 2007 is EUR 187 000 000.

At least 50 % of the above-mentioned amount shall be allocated to measures to support the conservation of nature and biodiversity.

The indicative national financial allocations for 2007 are as follows:

Country Indicative amount Country Indicative amount Country Indicative amount

AT EUR 3 509 000 FI EUR 6 696 000 MT EUR 2 148 000

BE EUR 3 858 000 FR EUR 16 357 000 NL EUR 5 996 000

BG EUR 4 025 000 EL EUR 6 356 000 PL EUR 8 858 000

CY EUR 2 000 000 HU EUR 4 673 000 PT EUR 5 236 000

CZ EUR 3 710 000 IE EUR 2 944 000 RO EUR 8 139 000

DE EUR 21 762 000 IT EUR 16 457 000 SE EUR 7 685 000

DK EUR 4 591 000 LT EUR 2 574 000 SI EUR 4 029 000

EE EUR 3 098 000 LU EUR 2 044 000 SK EUR 2 857 000

ES EUR 20 028 000 LV EUR 2 500 000 UK EUR 14 871 000

More information

More information including the application guidelines and application forms can be found on the LIFE

website:

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/funding/lifeplus.htm

It is also possible to contact the relevant national authorities:

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/crime/index.htm