The first regulation was superseded by Regulation No 2242/87 - ACE II - which ran until July 1991. Help to protect habitats of endangered species of particular importance to the EU, as defined by Directive 79/409/EEC.Development of new techniques for measuring and monitoring the natural environment and.Firstly, Regulation No 1872/84 ran from July 1984 to June 1987 and opened the door for the EU to grant financial support to projects in three fields: ACE - Action Communautaire pour l'Environnementįrom the mid-1980s, two regulations broadened the scope of EU assistance for the environment by establishing the ACE financial instrument. In respect of the later ACE Regulations (Action Communautaire pour l'Environnement or EU Actions for the Environment), this support was known as pre-ACE. This funding was renewed in 1983 and provided support for small-scale, preparatory projects that nevertheless had a significant impact. This recognition of the importance of providing financial assistance for habitat protection was taken forward in 1982 when the European Parliament succeeded in introducing a small budget line for nature conservation, enabling financing of a dozen or so projects. The directive called for co-financing for the management of Special Protection Areas dedicated to birdlife preservation. Then, 1979 saw the adoption of the Birds Directive, hailed by Birdlife International as 'one of the soundest pieces of bird conservation legislation worldwide'.

From 1972, measures to limit pollution and improve waste management were adopted. EU financial assistance for nature conservation was first made available in the early 1980s, following initiatives dating back to the 1970s. However, EU action on the environment can be traced back even earlier. Issues such as the holes in the ozone layer over the poles and global warming prompted an acceleration in European environmental policy-making and institution-building. Large-scale environmental disasters such as the Chernobyl catastrophe focused attention on the need for higher levels of environmental protection. Multiple LIFE projects have since developed thousands of such management plans.Īlso, a specific strand called ‘LIFE TCY – Third countries’ raised awareness of environmental issues in third countries.ĭuring the late 1980s, public consciousness about environmental threats grew rapidly.

France was pivotal in developing ‘document d’objectifs’ (DOCOB), which is a template for site management planning and is still used today. Funds were used to develop a system for designing and adopting management plans.

LIFE played a crucial role in preparing management plans for Natura 2000 sites. Throughout the 90s, LIFE helped develop inventories of potential Natura 2000 sites, thereby forging an impenetrable link between it and the Natura 2000 network, which protects the most endangered habitats and species across Europe. In its first phase (LIFE I: 1992-1995), the Programme had a budget of ECU 400 million, and this money helped finance 731 environmental projects. MEP Hemmo Muntingh in particular strongly advocated the need for a European environmental fund. The financial instrument for the environment or L’Instrument Financier pour l’Environnement (LIFE) started thanks to European Parliament support.

Life 1999 analysis