ARCHIVE: LIFE: EU Financial Instrument for the Environment

LIFE logoEnvironmental protection is a key priority for sustainable development of the EU and is mainly funded through the Community’s horizontal financial instruments. However, because these instruments do not cover all environmental priorities, the LIFE Programme provides specific support for activities that they cannot finance.

The latest EU LIFE Programme, LIFE+, provides financial support for projects that contribute to the development and implementation of Community environmental policy and legislation, in particular the objectives of the Sixth Environmental Action Programme and resulting thematic strategies. It has a budget of €2.143 billion between 2007-13.

Latest news

  • LIFE+ 2010 call: The European Commission has announced its preliminary calendar for the 2010 call for proposals. The call is due to be announced on 5 May, with a closing date of 1 September. Potential applicants are encouraged to start thinking now about proposal preparation and to contact the UK National Contact Point, Beta Technology, about project ideas, eligibility and other issues relating to proposal development. The European Commission will be hosting a workshop in the UK in May or June to coincide with the 2010 call. Further details here as soon as they become available.

  • LIFE+ 2008 call: The European Commission is co-financing 7 UK projects from the 2008 call

    • The Alde-Ore Estuary: Securing a sustainable future for wildlife (The National Trust)
    • Conserving machair habitats and species in a suite of Scottish Natura sites (RSPB)
    • Irfon Special Area of Conservation Project (Wye and Usk Foundation)
    • MoorLIFE: Active blanket bog restoration in the South Pennine Moors (Peak District National Park Authority)
    • Innovative instruments and methodologies to provide the European polymer industry with a solid technical background in support of REACH (Rapra Ltd)
    • European Pathway to Zero Waste: demonstrating the route to zero waste to landfill via end waste protocols and building a recycling society (Environment Agency)
    • Promoting the importance of the EU Birds Directive in conservation management on farmland (RSPB)

Further information about the call is available in the Commission's press release and summaries of project by country.

  • A compilation of Frequently Asked Questions (PDF) from the Commission’s 2008 and 2009 workshops for potential LIFE+ applicants is available.

Contacts and further information

Help and advice for project applicants: contact the UK National Contact Point, Beta Technology

Policy and general enquiries: contact the Defra mailbox -
life.env@defra.gsi.gov.uk.

EC LIFE Unit

Member State National Contact Points for LIFE+

Making an application

Eligibility and scope – LIFE+ is complementary to the main EU horizontal funding programmes, such as the Seventh Framework Programme. Project actions that fall within the eligibility or scope of these other programmes will not be funded through LIFE+.

Latest EC LIFE+ news

Page last modified: 10 March 2010