16 Financial Instrument for the Environment
(LIFE)
| (a)
(26004)
13071/04
COM(04) 621
+ ADD1
|
Draft Regulation concerning the Financial Instrument for the Environment (LIFE+)
Commission Staff Working Document on a draft Regulation concerning the Financial Instrument for the Environment (LIFE+)
|
| (b)
(27554)
9941/06
COM(04) 621
|
Amended draft Regulation concerning the Financial Instrument for the Environment (LIFE+)
|
| Legal base | Article 175(1)EC; co-decision; QMV
|
| Document originated | (b) 24 May 2006
|
| Deposited in Parliament | (b) 6 June 2006
|
| Department | Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
|
| Basis of consideration | EM of 9 June 2006
|
| Previous Committee Report | (a) HC 42-xxxiv (2003-04), para 6 (27 October 2004) and HC 34-xi (2005-06), para 3 (23 November 2005)
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| To be discussed in Council | 27 June 2006
|
| Committee's assessment | Politically important
|
| Committee's decision | (Both) Cleared
|
Background
16.1 The Commission's Environment Directorate runs a number of
programmes, one of which —
the Financial Instrument for the Environment (LIFE) —
currently has three strands (Environment, Nature and Third Countries).
The current Regulation runs until the end of 2006, and, in September
2004, the Commission put forward a proposal (document (a)), which
would establish a new Financial Instrument for the Environment
(LIFE+) for the period 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2013.
16.2 The new Programme would have two components
— Implementation and Governance (which will receive 75-80%
of the proposed financial allocation) and Information and Communication
(which will receive the remaining 20-25% allocation) — and
would be established on a multi-annual basis, with detailed annual
programmes open to public and private bodies, including national,
regional and local authorities and non-governmental organisations.
To that extent, it would continue the basic objectives and scope
of the present LIFE Programme, but there would be two important
differences. First, many of the activities under LIFE Environment
will in future be integrated into the Community's competitiveness
framework programme, whilst activities under LIFE+ Third Countries
will be funded under the external assistance instrument. Likewise,
although LIFE+ would continue to be applicable to certain actions
related to Natura 2000, it is proposed that active management
of the Natura 2000 sites should in future be eligible for co-funding
from structural and rural funds. Secondly, many of the Environment
Directorate's current programmes would in future be merged within
the single LIFE+ instrument.
16.3 This proposal was considered by our predecessors
on 27 October 2004, and was first drawn to our attention by letters
of 17 and 20 November 2005 we had received from the then Minister
of State (Environment and Agri-Environment) at the Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Mr Elliot Morley). These
indicated that the UK Presidency was hoping to secure a partial
political agreement at the Environment Council on 2 December 2005
on the text of the proposal, but not the budgetary provision,
and asked us to clear the content of the proposal, on the basis
that the Government would present it for further scrutiny once
the new Financial Perspectives have been agreed, and a budget
for LIFE+ has been set. We duly commented in our Report of 23
November 2005 that we saw no reason why the Government should
not agree to the text now before the Council, subject to the proviso
that formal scrutiny clearance would have to await further information
on the budget.
The current proposal
16.4 The Commission has now produced a further proposal
(document (b)) setting out a budget for LIFE+ of €2,098
million (in current prices) for the period 1 January 2007-31
December 2013, a figure
which is marginally below the €2,100
million originally proposed by the Commission, and which the Government
believes is "appropriate" for the measures to be financed.
Conclusion
16.5 In light of this information, we are now
clearing both documents.
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