Funding programmes are an essential complement to legislation in order to tackle environmental challenges.

The LIFE+ programme is the EU’s key financial instrument for the environment. It includes three components: LIFE + Environmental Policy and Governance (LIFE Environment), LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity and LIFE+ Information and Communication.

The LIFE Environment strand aims primarily to support the implementation and updating of EU environmental policy through the development of new solutions to environmental challenges and the dissemination of best practices, in the public as well as in the private sector.

How significant is LIFE’s contribution to improving the environment, and how should it be updated in the light of new policy developments?

The Commission will hold a conference on the in Brussels on May 25 and 26, 2011, which aims to take stock of the programme’s contribution, discuss its achievements and look to future needs and opportunities in this field, particularly in view of the next financial framework 2014-2020 .

The conference will also provide an opportunity to stakeholders to exchange experience on the implementation of the LIFE programme.

Expected results

 A clearer understanding of LIFE’s contribution to environmental protection in Europe;
 Greater awareness of this contribution, particularly among policy-makers at EU level;
 Ideas for the future of the programme, its design and development, which can be fed into the planning cycle.

Target audiences

The conference should bring together:

 Professionals (public authorities, SMEs, other industries, academia)
 EU policy-makers (Commission, Parliament, Committee of the Regions, Member states, Council)
 Stakeholders of the LIFE programme (beneficiaries, EC, other funders).
to discuss the achievements and the future of the programme in this field.

The outcomes of the conference will be taken into consideration in the revision of LIFE programme for 2014-2020.