Article 19 Eligibility and award criteria and project selection
United Kingdom
Projects referred to in Article 18 shall satisfy the eligibility criteria based on the definitions set out in Article 2 and the following award criteria:
being of Union interest by making a significant contribution to the achievement of one of the general objectives of the LIFE Programme set out in Article 3 as well as the specific objectives for the priority areas listed in Article 9, the thematic priorities set out in Annex III, or the specific objectives for the priority areas listed in Article 13;
ensuring a cost-effective approach and being technically and financially coherent; and
being sound in the proposed implementation.
The award of projects shall be subject to the projects meeting minimum quality requirements in conformity with the relevant provisions of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012.
Projects financed by the LIFE Programme under one priority area shall avoid undermining environmental or climate objectives in another priority area and, where possible, promote synergies between different objectives as well as the use of green public procurement.
The Commission shall ensure geographical balance for integrated projects by indicatively allocating at least three integrated projects to each Member State, ensuring at least one integrated project under the sub-programme for Environment and at least one integrated project under the sub-programme for Climate Action during the LIFE programming period referred to in Article 1.
Integrated projects shall be distributed with a view to meeting the targets set in accordance with point (c) of Article 24(2) for each of the areas referred to in point (d) of Article 2.
In order to evaluate compliance with the provision of mobilisation of Union, national or private funds referred to in point (d) of Article 2, proposals for integrated projects shall be accompanied by:
at the first stage of the application process: a financial plan; and
at the second stage of the application process: at least one letter of intent indicating the extent to which other relevant Union, national or private funding sources are to be mobilised, and specifying such sources of funding.
The Commission shall, for the duration of the first multiannual work programme, ensure geographical balance for projects other than integrated projects submitted under the sub-programme for Environment, by proportionately distributing funds among all Member States according to indicative national allocations established in accordance with the criteria set out in Annex I. Where indicative national allocations are not applicable, projects shall be selected exclusively on the basis of merit.
If the sum of co-financing that is necessary for funding projects, other than integrated projects, that are submitted by a Member State, and that are on the list compiled by the Commission at the end of the selection procedure is less than the indicative allocation for that Member State, the Commission shall, subject to the conditions laid down in paragraphs 1 and 2 being met, use the balance of that indicative national allocation to co-finance those projects submitted by other Member States, excluding projects in OCTs, that make the greatest contribution to the achievement of the general objectives set out in Article 3.
When presenting the list of projects to be co-financed, the Commission shall report to the Committee for the LIFE Programme for the Environment and Climate Action on how it took into account the allocation criteria established in accordance with paragraphs 4 and 5.
The Commission shall have special regard to transnational projects where transnational cooperation is essential to guarantee environmental protection and climate objectives, and shall endeavour to ensure that at least 15 % of the budgetary resources dedicated to projects are allocated to transnational projects. The Commission shall consider the award of funding to transnational projects even in cases where the indicative national allocation balance of one or more Member States participating in those transnational projects has been exceeded.
During the first multiannual work programme, a Member State shall be eligible for funding for one capacity-building project up to an amount of EUR 1 000 000 provided it meets one of the following criteria:
the Member State's average absorption level of its indicative national allocation for the years 2010, 2011 and 2012, as established under Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 614/2007, is below 70 %;
the Member State's GDP per capita in 2012 was below 90 % of the Union average; or
the Member State acceded to the Union after 1 January 2013.
During the second multiannual work programme, a Member State shall be eligible for funding for one capacity-building project up to an amount of EUR 750 000 provided it meets the following criteria:
the Member State's average absorption level of its indicative national allocation for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016, referred to in paragraph 5, is below 70 %; and
the Member State's average absorption level of its indicative national allocation for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016 has increased compared to the average absorption level for the years 2010, 2011 and 2012.
In order to be eligible for funding for capacity-building projects, a Member State shall commit to maintaining resources dedicated to the LIFE Programme, including inter alia staffing levels, at levels that are no lower than those in place in 2012, for the duration of the relevant multiannual work programme. That commitment shall be set out in the capacity-building plan referred to in paragraph 9.
By way of exception to the eligibility provisions of the first and second subparagraphs and for the entire duration of the LIFE Programme, a Member State shall be ineligible for funding for capacity-building projects if its GDP per capita in 2012 was above 105 % of the Union average. Funding for capacity-building projects shall be limited to one project per Member State per multiannual work programme.
The Commission shall establish a fast-track award procedure for all capacity-building projects. Applications for such capacity-building projects may be submitted as from 23 December 2013. Applications shall be based on a capacity-building plan to be agreed between the Member State and the Commission outlining the interventions to be funded by the LIFE Programme in order to develop the Member State's capacity to submit successful applications for funding for projects under the sub-programmes for Environment and Climate Action. Such interventions may include, but shall not be limited to:
recruitment of new personnel and training for LIFE national or regional contact points;
facilitating exchanges of experience and best practices and promoting the dissemination and use of results of projects under the LIFE Programme;
'train the trainer' approaches;
exchange and secondment programmes between public authorities in Member States, in particular 'best in class' exchange activities.
The interventions covered by the capacity-building plan may include the procurement of experts to address ad-hoc gaps in technical and process capability, but may not include the procurement of experts whose primary function is the drafting of proposals for submission under the annual calls for proposals.
The capacity-building plan shall also outline estimates for the costs of such interventions.