LIFE priority actions 1994
A Commission Communication on the financial instrument for the environment (LIFE), relating to priority actions to be implemented in 1994, was published in the Official Journal of 6.10.1993. The financial vehicle LIFE, created in 1992 (Council Regulation 1973/92/EEC of 21.5.1992) aims to define and promote production models and behaviour consistent with sustainable development, demonstrate on a practical level the technical feasibility and economic effectiveness of the selected actions and models, and support specific demonstration and pilot projects. It also supports horizontal information, education and training, with the objective of exercising an influence on the economic actors via practical examples, and the strengthening of administrative structures. It is pointed out in the communication that the idea of environmental responsibility and sustainable development remain rather abstract for a majority of economic actors (administrators, entrepreneurs and consumers). It is for this reason that the production models and practical examples provided by LIFE, together with its training and information activities, are of such importance. Priority actions established for 1994, under the programme's five areas of action (continuing and refining activities carried out in 1993) include: - Promotion of sustainable development and the quality of the environment: New clean technologies (surface treatment, tanneries, graphics industry, plastics industry, metalworking, agri-foods industries); - Protection of habitats and of nature (maintaining and restoring endangered species of wild birds and flora and fauna and their biotopes, maintaining and restoring habitats and animal and vegetable species of Community interest, environment-related integrated catchment area water management); - Administrative structures and environmental services (cooperative between administrations in Member States to better achieve environmental management, improvement of environmental monitoring networks); - Education, training and information (exchanges of experience and best practices and good practices in the field of eco-management and in environmental audit and environmental hearings); - Actions outside the Community (technical assistance to establish environmental policies and action programmes). The Communication notes that proposals for actions to be financed by the Community in the context of LIFE are transmitted to the Commission by the relevant Member States, except where calls for expressions of interest are published in the Official Journal. However, the Commission does not consider it appropriate to publish calls for expressions of interest for the financial year 1994. The first phase of LIFE (1991-1995) has a total necessary Community financial appropriation estimated at ECU 400 million, of which ECU 68.6 was allocated for 1993 and ECU 76.5 million is expected to be devoted to actions during 1994.