The Committee of the Regions welcomed the Council proposal
presented by the Commission to amend the LIFE Regulation and reiterated the
need to include the environment in economic spatial development planning in
the Community. Measures under LIFE should not go against the principle of
concentration, which was a matter for the Structural Funds policy. LIFE
should target specific areas of action following simple, transparent
procedures. Priority should be given to local projects with a transnational
dimension. The Committee estimated that the proposed figure of
ECU 450 million fell short of the programme’s ambitions. Concerning
the selection criteria, the Committee called for the LIFE information
brochure to be readily accessible to applicants and invited the Commission
and the MemberStates to involve the regions and
local authorities in the dissemination of information to project partners.
Concerning procedure, the Committee considered that the regions and local
authorities should participate in the compilation and submission of project
proposals in order to reduce effectively the number of projects submitted
that were not eligible for financing under LIFE and improve the overall
quality of proposals and the transparency of the procedure. Measures to
accompany the implementation of the LIFE programme were required for the
preparation, analysis or promotion of information in this area. The Committee
stressed that representatives of the regional and local authorities should be
able to participate in the decision-making process by proposing projects for
financial support to the European Commission. LIFE could provide a basis for
securing greater cohesion in the actions of Member States with regard to
environmental problems and ensure a better balance between environmental
policy and the other Community policies.