Archives: March 2007

A final political agreement was reached by the Council and the European Parliament on March 27 on the new ‘LIFE+ programme for the period 2007 to 2013.

The overall budget foreseen for the programme is just under EUR 1.9 billion. Contrary to the original proposals from the Commission, the new LIFE+ programme will be centrally managed by the Commission, as with the previous LIFE programmes. The Commission had proposed decentralised management, with specific budget allocations or each Member State. However the European Parliament rejected this aspect of the new programme. However, the final agreement does foresees more involvement of Member States in defining national priorities and does includes a provision to ensure a proportionate distribution of projects by establishing indicative national allocations based on specific criteria (essentially population size and nature and biodiversity). The Commission will also aim to ensure that at least 15% of the budget dedicated to project action grants is allocated to transnational projects.

LIFE+ will address all four priority areas of the Sixth Environment Action Programme (6EAP, running from 2002 to 2012) - climate change; nature and biodiversity; health and quality of life; natural resources and waste – as well as the programme’s seven Thematic Strategies. The new programme is divided into three strands: 1. LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity focusing on the implementation of the EU directives on the conservation of habitats and of wild birds, as well as further strengthening the knowledge needed for developing, assessing, monitoring and evaluating EU nature and biodiversity policy and legislation; 2. LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance covering the other 6EAP priorities besides nature and biodiversity, as well as strategic approaches to policy development, implementation and enforcement; 3. LIFE+ Information and Communication on environmental issues. The first call for proposals is now expected in the coming weeks. Further details at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/news/futureoflife.htm#concilmarch

The European Commission has published a call for proposals under the Youth in Action programme which aims to support innovative projects in the fields of non-formal education for young people and youth work.

In the context of this call, innovation can refer to content and objectives or methodology. The projects must seek to support the integration of young people with fewer opportunities living in suburban areas in Europe, in line with the programme's general priorities (participation by young people, cultural diversity, European citizenship, social inclusion and, equal opportunities). Projects must include partner organisations from at least 4 different countries. The total budget is €600,000, with co-financing of up to 65%, or a maximum of €200,000 per project. Deadline for applications: 30 June 2007. Further details at: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/static/en/youth/calls2007/action44/index.htm

The European Commission has published a call for proposals under the Youth in Action programme, which seeks to support projects promoting cooperation with partner countries other than the European Union's neighbouring countries.

The aim of the call is: to promote the exchange of experience and good practice in the field of youth and non-formal education; to contribute to the development of youth policies, youth work and the voluntary sector, as well as to capacity-building and leadership development for youth organisations/structures; and to to develop sustainable partnerships and networks between youth organisations. Projects must involve partners from at least four different countries. The total budget is EUR 2,285,000, with EU co-financing of up to 80% or EUR 100,000 per project. Deadline for applications: 31 May 2007. Further details at: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/static/en/youth/calls2007/action32/index.htm

The European Commission has launched the European eGovernment Awards 2007

There are five categories for this years award: 1. Better public services for growth and jobs; 2. Participation and transparency; 3. Social impact and social cohesion; 4. Effective and efficient administration; and 5. The most inspiring Good Practice (initiatives that provide creative and inspirational solutions to common challenges), which will be selected by public vote. The awards are open to all public administrations in Europe (national, regional, local, etc.) that deliver eGovernment services. Submissions will be accepted from 1 April until 1 June 2007. Further details at: http://ec.europa.eu/egov

Building on the success of last year’s edition, the European Commission has just launched the second European Enterprise Awards, which recognise and rewards initiatives by local and regional authorities to support entrepreneurship.

400 local authorities from more than 20 countries participated in the competition in 2006, the first year of the awards. National competitions start this month in order to select and submit entries to the European competition by September. The 2007 award ceremony will be held in Porto, Portugal on 6 December. Further details at: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/entrepreneurship/smes/awards/index_en.htm

The European Commission has published a call for proposals on Reinforcing synergies between public policies in support of e-business for SMEs.

This call aims to support and facilitate the exchange of best policy practices between e-business policy makers and/or SME support networks. The ultimate beneficiaries will be SMEs, which will be assisted to better understand e-business processes, improve their skills and participate in e-business networks. The total budget is: €600.000, with EU co-financing of up to 50%, or a maximum of €120.000 per project. Approximately 5 projects will receive funding. Deadline for applications: 16 May 2007. Further details at: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/funding/grants/themes_2007/pp_4.1.2/specifications_v2.pdf

The Joint Technical Secretariats (JTS) for the new North West Europe (NWE) and Atlantic Area (AA) territorial cooperation programmes 2007-2013 are inviting the submission of ideas for transnational projects from potential beneficiaries

Both programme are currently being finalised and it is expected that the first call for proposals will be launched in the summer of 2007. In the meantime, the JTSs, the programme implementation bodies, are encouraging potential beneficiaries to submit ideas online. This will help to promote awareness of project ideas and facilitate contact with potential local and transnational partners. Once an idea has been registered, potential beneficiaries are advised to start networking by attending events organised by the JTSs at regional, national and transnational level, and to look at the list of ideas submitted by others. Further details on the NWE programme are available at: http://www.nweurope.org/page/document.php?p=1756 or contact: Ronan Gingles, INTERREG NWE Liaison Officer, Southern and Eastern Regional Assembly. Tel: +353 (0) 51 860711, e-mail: rgingles@seregassembly.ie Further details on the AA programme are available at: http://www.atlantique-2007-2013.org/index.php?id=9&L=2 or contact: Michael O’Brien, BMW Regional Assembly, Tel: +353 (0)94 9862970, e-mail: mobrien@bmwassembly.ie