LIFE-Third Countries: 13 projects approved
The European Commission has, on a proposal from Mrs. Ritt Bjerregaard, Commissioner responsible for the Environment, approved funding of ECU 6 million for 13 environmental projects in Mediterranean and Baltic third countries. The Community aid, awarded within the framework of the LIFE financial instrument for the environment, will be allocated to projects involving technical assistance, demonstration, and conservation or restoration of major habitats. The projects selected in 1996 under LIFE-Third Countries, which for the most part fall within a broader framework of regional and sub-regional policies aimed at protecting the environment and promoting sustainable development, are of particular interest to the Community given the criteria set out in the new LIFE Regulation approved by the Council in July 1996. LIFE-Third Countries accounts for 5% of the total budget for this instrument and its scale is, therefore, much smaller than the two main sections: LIFE Environment and LIFE Nature. As a result of this programme, however, the Commission is able to offer local and national authorities in the countries concerned the means to develop legislative, monitoring and planning instruments with a view to improving environmental management. Projects to be financed range from the management of urban waste in Albania to the development of oil spill response capabilities in Cyprus, Egypt and Israel.