Commission support for LIFE environmental projects
The European Commission has published a series of Decisions on the granting of Community financial support for demonstration projects under the LIFE financial instrument for the environment. These projects have been selected following the LIFE call for proposals, published in November 1996 (OJ No S 222 of 15.11.1996 p. 27). The Commission approved funding of ECU 90.2 million for 188 projects for the protection of the environment, 16 of which will be carried out in Third Countries. The projects selected in the LIFE-Environment sector are divided into three priority areas, including industry (52 projects), local authorities (54 projects) and preparatory actions (6 projects) to support European legislation and policy. In the industry sector one example of a project selected involves a demonstration plant to recycle low contaminated waste water from the agri-foodstuffs industry in Germany. In the local authorities sector, one example involves the development of local indicators to monitor urban sustainability in England. Three of the six preparatory actions relate to the development of EU water policies and include a study to be applied to the Meuse river basin, to compile a biotic index of fish integrity to evaluate the ecological quality of lotic ecosystems. In the LIFE-Nature sector, a total of 60 projects were selected for funding. Examples of projects include the conservation of the canis lupus and its habitats in Central Greece and the protection of the wet grassland habitats of a number of priority species in Belgium. Actions to be financed outside the Community include the development of cycle networks in Cyprus towns, the restoration of rivers in Israel's coastal plain and sustainable traffic development in Kaliningrad, Russia.