LIFE+ funds beyond 2013

The future LIFE+ instrument is designed to target specifically environmental and climate mitigation / adaptation measures. The proposed budget for the new phase 2014-2020 is €3.2bn. The fund will have environment and climate change sub-programmes. The objective of the climate change sub-programme will be to ‘contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU climate policy and legislation, including the integration of climate concerns into other relevant policies, thereby contributing to achieving the EU's specific climate objectives'.

Under the new LIFE (2014-2020) five main categories of activities are proposed for co-financing under this instrument:

Knowledge sharing - building capacity through sharing good or best practice solutions;
Collaborative action - building capacity through working together;
Pilot projects to test and demonstrate solutions - policy, technology, technical and financial;
Studies to support policy development and implementation; and
Communication and awareness-raising.

LIFE provides financial support through action grants with most projects funded at the rate of around 50%. It also includes operating grants for NGOs that are ‘primarily active in protecting and enhancing the environment at European level and involved in the development and implementation of Community policy and legislation'. For these organisations, the EU Budget contribution varies from 15% to 70%.