Joint press release with the Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Public Health
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the European Union's LIFE programme experts from the European Commission, nature conservation agencies, the government and the Länder discussed the orientation of LIFE from 2014. To this end, the Federal Environment Ministry invited project executing agencies of more than 100 German LIFE projects to a meeting in Iphofen from 19 to 21 June 2012.
In Iphofen Ursula Heinen-Esser, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Environment Ministry stated: "In times of tight budgets funding must be assigned effectively. This is what the LIFE programme has been doing for 20 years. And this is why the programme must be significantly strengthened in the future"
The meeting showed that LIFE funding is a good investment in our future, not only benefiting local environment and nature, but often also generating added value for the region's tourism and agricultural and forestry development. "With a total of 21 LIFE projects in Bavaria, such as "Forests and glade valleys in the Steigerwald region near Iphofen", we succeed in raising awareness of the value of our unique natural treasures and conserving the habitats of endemic flora and fauna like the Maculinea butterfly in the Steigerwald region and other rare butterfly species", said Melanie Huml, the Bavarian State Secretary for the Environment.
Background
Under the LIFE Programme different applicants (companies, associations, public authorities etc.) may apply for 50 percent support from the EU for environment projects of all kinds (noise, water, air, climate, nature conservation, biological diversity). Public information is an inherent component of all projects.
The European Union's LIFE financing instrument entered into force on 21 May, 1992. Since then the EU has provided approx. 2.5 bn euros for nature conservation and environmental protection measures. A central focus of LIFE is "Natura 2000", the world's largest network of protected sites. Since 1992 more than 3,500 such sites have been supported financially, among them more than 100 in Germany (70 completed and more than 30 ongoing projects). Overall project expenditure was approx. 290 million euro, with the EU contribution amounting to more than 160 million euro. Support was given to conserving endangered landscapes such as raised bogs and fens, flower-rich meadows, alluvial meadows and rare fauna such as the corncrake, bittern and lesser spotted eagle.
Over the past 20 years LIFE has become a firm component of European environment policy and an indispensible financing source for nature conservation in Germany. Negotiations on the new 2014-2020 funding period are currently under way in Brussels with Germany advocating a further strengthening of LIFE. The EU proposal for 2.4bn euros for the forthcoming seven is not sufficient to cover 10 percent of the funds needed for the Natura 2000 network, which requires another 2bn euro.