Regulation (EU) No 1293/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the establishment of a Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE) and repealing Regulation (EC) No 614/2007 Text with EEA relevance
Modified by
  • Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/93of 16 November 2017on the increase of the percentage of the budgetary resources allocated to projects supported by way of action grants under the sub-programme for Environment dedicated to projects supporting the conservation of nature and biodiversity according to Article 9(4) of Regulation (EU) No 1293/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of a Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE) and repealing Regulation (EC) No 614/2007(Text with EEA relevance), 32018R0093, January 23, 2018
Regulation (EU) No 1293/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Councilof 11 December 2013on the establishment of a Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE) and repealing Regulation (EC) No 614/2007(Text with EEA relevance) TITLE ITHE PROGRAMME FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE ACTION (LIFE)
Article 1EstablishmentA Programme for the Environment and Climate Action covering the period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2020 (the "LIFE Programme") is hereby established.
Article 2DefinitionsFor the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions apply:(a)"pilot projects" means projects that apply a technique or method that has not been applied or tested before, or elsewhere, that offer potential environmental or climate advantages compared to current best practice and that can subsequently be applied on a larger scale to similar situations;(b)"demonstration projects" means projects that put into practice, test, evaluate and disseminate actions, methodologies or approaches that are new or unknown in the specific context of the project, such as the geographical, ecological, socio-economic context, and that could be applied elsewhere in similar circumstances;(c)"best practice projects" means projects that apply appropriate, cost-effective and state-of-the-art techniques, methods and approaches taking into account the specific context of the project;(d)"integrated projects" means projects implementing on a large territorial scale, in particular, regional, multi-regional, national or trans-national scale, environmental or climate plans or strategies required by specific Union environmental or climate legislation, developed pursuant to other Union acts or developed by Member States' authorities, primarily in the areas of nature, including, inter alia, Natura 2000 network management, water, waste, air and climate change mitigation and adaptation, while ensuring involvement of stakeholders and promoting the coordination with and mobilisation of at least one other relevant Union, national or private funding source;(e)"technical assistance projects" means projects providing, by way of action grants, financial support to help applicants prepare integrated projects, and in particular to ensure that those projects comply with the timing, technical and financial requirements of the LIFE Programme in coordination with funds referred to in Article 8(3);(f)"capacity-building projects" means projects providing, by way of action grants, financial support to the activities required to build the capacity of Member States, including LIFE national or regional contact points, with a view to enabling Member States to participate more effectively in the LIFE Programme;(g)"preparatory projects" means projects primarily identified by the Commission in cooperation with Member States to support specific needs for the development and implementation of Union environmental or climate policy and legislation;(h)"information, awareness and dissemination projects" means projects aimed at supporting communication, dissemination of information and awareness raising in the fields of the sub-programmes for Environment and Climate Action.
Article 3General objectives and performance indicators1.The LIFE Programme shall in particular have the following general objectives:(a)to contribute to the shift towards a resource-efficient, low-carbon and climate- resilient economy, to the protection and improvement of the quality of the environment and to halting and reversing biodiversity loss, including the support of the Natura 2000 network and tackling the degradation of ecosystems;(b)to improve the development, implementation and enforcement of Union environmental and climate policy and legislation, and to act as a catalyst for, and promote, the integration and mainstreaming of environmental and climate objectives into other Union policies and public and private sector practice, including by increasing the public and private sector's capacity;(c)to support better environmental and climate governance at all levels, including better involvement of civil society, NGOs and local actors;(d)to support the implementation of the 7th Environment Action Programme.In pursuing those objectives, the LIFE Programme shall contribute to sustainable development and to the achievement of the objectives and targets of the Europe 2020 Strategy and of relevant Union environment and climate strategies and plans.2.The general objectives set out in paragraph 1 shall be pursued through the following sub-programmes:(a)the sub-programme for Environment;(b)the sub-programme for Climate Action.3.The performance of the LIFE Programme shall be assessed, in particular, against the following indicators:(a)as regards the general objective referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1, attributable environmental and climate improvements. In relation to the objective of contributing to halting and reversing biodiversity loss, attributable environmental improvements shall be measured through the percentage of the Natura 2000 network restored or brought to adequate management, surface and type of ecosystems restored, and number and type of habitats and species targeted with improving conservation status;(b)as regards the general objectives linked to development and implementation referred to in point (b) of paragraph 1, the number of interventions developed or undertaken that implement plans, programmes or strategies pursuant to Union environmental or climate policy and legislation, and the number of interventions suitable for replication or transfer;(c)as regards the general objectives linked to integration and mainstreaming referred to in point (b) of paragraph 1, the number of interventions achieving synergies with or mainstreamed into other Union funding programmes, or integrated into public or private sector practice;(d)as regards the general objective referred to in point (c) of paragraph 1, the number of interventions to ensure better governance, dissemination of information and awareness of environmental and climate aspects.The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 29 to further define the performance indicators in view of their application to the priority areas and thematic priorities referred to in Article 9 and Annex III respectively as regards the sub-programme for Environment, and in Article 13 as regards the sub-programme for Climate Action.
Article 4Budget1.The financial envelope for the implementation of the LIFE Programme for the period from 2014 to 2020 is set at EUR 3456655000 in current prices, which amounts to 0,318 % of the total amount of commitment appropriations as referred to in Regulation (EU) No 1311/2013.The annual appropriations shall be authorised by the European Parliament and by the Council within the limits of the multiannual financial framework.2.The budgetary breakdown for the sub-programmes shall be as follows:(a)EUR 2592491250 of the overall financial envelope referred to in paragraph 1 shall be allocated to the sub-programme for Environment;(b)EUR 864163750 of the overall financial envelope referred to in paragraph 1 shall be allocated to the sub-programme for Climate Action.
Article 5Participation of third countries in the LIFE ProgrammeThe LIFE Programme shall be open to the participation of the following countries:(a)European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries which are parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA);(b)candidate countries, potential candidates and acceding countries to the Union;(c)countries to which the European Neighbourhood Policy applies;(d)countries which have become members of the European Environmental Agency in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 933/1999Council Regulation (EC) No 933/1999 of 29 April 1999 amending Regulation (EEC) No 1210/90 on the establishment of the European Environmental Agency and the European environment information and observation network (OJ L 117, 5.5.1999, p. 1)..Such participation shall be pursued in accordance with the conditions laid down in the respective bilateral or multilateral agreements establishing the general principles for those third countries' participation in Union programmes.
Article 6Activities outside the Union or in overseas countries and territories1.Without prejudice to Article 5, the LIFE Programme may finance activities outside the Union and in overseas countries and territories (OCTs) in accordance with Decision 2001/822/EC (the Overseas Association Decision), provided those activities are necessary to achieve Union environmental and climate objectives and to ensure the effectiveness of interventions carried out in Member State territories to which the Treaties apply.2.A legal person established outside the Union may be able to participate in the projects referred to in Article 18, provided the beneficiary coordinating the project is based in the Union and the activity to be carried out outside the Union meets the requirements set out in paragraph 1 of this Article.
Article 7International cooperationIn the course of implementing the LIFE Programme, cooperation with relevant international organisations, and with their institutions and bodies, shall be possible where needed for the purpose of achieving the general objectives set out in Article 3.
Article 8Complementarity1.The Commission and the Member States shall ensure that support from the LIFE Programme is consistent with the policies and priorities of the Union and complementary to other financial instruments of the Union while also ensuring that simplification measures are implemented.2.Operations financed under the LIFE Programme shall comply with Union and national law, including Union state aid rules. In particular, funding under the LIFE Programme which constitutes state aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU shall be notified by Member States to the Commission and may not be put into effect until it is approved by the Commission in accordance with Article 108(3) TFEU, unless it complies with a regulation adopted pursuant to Article 2(1) and Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 994/98.3.In accordance with their respective responsibilities, the Commission and the Member States shall ensure coordination between the LIFE Programme and the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, in order to create synergies, particularly in the context of integrated projects, and to support the use of solutions, methods and approaches developed under the LIFE Programme. Such coordination shall take place within the framework established by the Common Provisions Regulation and through the Common Strategic Framework and the mechanisms set out in the Partnership Agreements as required by that Regulation.4.The Commission shall also ensure consistency and synergies, and avoid overlap between the LIFE Programme and other Union policies and financial instruments, in particular Horizon 2020 and those in the framework of the Union's external action.
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