Written answers
Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Department of Environment, Community and Local Government
EU Funding
Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
138. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the way he will characterise the draw down rate for the LIFE + programme 2007-2013 by Ireland; if he will put this sum in context with reference to the draw down by other EU Member States. [8447/14]
Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
The EU LIFE+ Programme 2007-2013 is a dedicated EU funding instrument for the environment, with the aim of contributing to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental policy and legislation by co-financing pilot or demonstration projects. The Programme is administered directly by the European Commission with funding allocated to projects on merit in accordance with established criteria and following a rigorous assessment process. The table shows that in the period 2007 to 2012 seven Irish projects out of twenty one submitted qualified for funding under LIFE+, resulting in an aggregate EU contribution of almost €8.5 million. Anecdotally, we understand that this success rate is broadly similar to the average achieved across all Member States.
Irish applications under LIFE+ Programme 2007-2013
| Year | No. of applications submitted | No. of successful applications | Total Budget (successful applications) | EU Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 3 | 2 | €3,266,640 | €1,652,804 |
| 2008 | 3 | 0 | - | - |
| 2009 | 5 | 2 | €4,147,154 | €2,226,447 |
| 2010 | 2 | 1 | €3,157,910 | €1,562,672 |
| 2011 | 4 | 1 | €2,225,205 | €1,108,872 |
| 2012 | 4 | 1 | €2,597,685 | €1,941,188 |
| 2013 | 13 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total | 34 | 7 | €15,394,594 | €8,491,983 |
For the duration of the LIFE+ Programme, Ireland has had an annual national allocation of some €4 million for which matching funding is required. The aim of national allocations, which are based on criteria set out in the LIFE+ Regulation, is to ensure a proportionate distribution of projects throughout Member States. In its Mid-term Review of the LIFE+ Regulation for the period 2007-2009, the European Commission noted Ireland’s percentage use of its national allocation to be 41%. Similarly, the majority of other Member States failed to draw down their full national allocation in that period. The Mid-term Review also noted that the greatest number of applications was received from Italy, Spain and Germany, with the total amount awarded to beneficiaries in these Member States totalling some €98 million in 2008, almost half of the total LIFE+ budget available in that year. A full database of successful LIFE+ applications is available on the European Commission’s website at.
No comments