LIFE Programme Mid-term Evaluation

In 2021, the H2020 CSA-energy projects (previously IEE) were transferred from H2020 to the LIFE programme. FEDARENE led a lobby campaign (2018-2021) with other EU associations to raise awareness in the European Commission about the need for a LIFE clean energy transition sub-programme with funding rates and procedures aligned with Horizon. You’ll find one of the concluding policy letters we had sent in 2020 here.

We are now all engaging in a LIFE-CET sub-programme which largely fits the requirements of our projects, organisations and stakeholders. However, the specificity of our sub-programme (predominantly “other actions” type projects with 95% co-funding rate, with simplified procedures aligned with Horizon, comprehensive topic descriptions…) isn’t going unnoticed. Its continuation will also depend on our efforts in highlighting the need for this specificity. Please find below some updates on this front:

• The higher co-funding rate of LIFE-CET projects 95% has come up in discussions with DG ENV and the LIFE committee, but so far DG ENER has managed to explain the rationale behind the specificity of this sub-programme and its history; nevertheless, we should make sure that we/they continue communicating about the need for the LIFE-CET sub-programme to remain different; your contribution here will be essential as it has been in the past.
• In the general debate about EU funding support, there are discussions on the added value of financing from EU direct managed programmes actions for the local and regional level, and conversely to what extent these type of activities are not better served by national funding and EU shared management programmes under the direct responsibility of Member States. This is an issue and we’ll have to defend the added value on providing EU support via directly managed programmes to actions taking place at local and regional level.
• Energy experts (some of them previously Horizon-energy national contact points) are involved in the LIFE Committee, however each country still has just 1 voice (environment, climate & energy).

Action points for FEDARENE and its members:

The European Commission launched its Mid-term evaluation of the LIFE programme over the period 2021-2024

1) We kindly invite you to please review the 2 pre-filled contributions (Beneficiary survey & EU survey) to the on-going surveys of the European Commission on the LIFE programme. These contributions will be logged on behalf of FEDARENE as a whole. Please share your additions/modifications or greenlight by next Wednesday 29th at noon at filip.dumitriu@fedarene.org . We are particularly missing your input on:

• “To what extent did you find the LIFE 2021-2027 Programme’s application process easy to navigate, in terms of: Finding relevant and useful information about the application requirements; Identifying the right partners; Setting up the partnership; Drafting the application; Developing the budget; Providing KPI data (in the Part C KPI Dynamic forms).”
• In preparing your application, to what extent did you find the following support from the LIFE programme useful: Online manual for the application process; Partner search tools (e.g. Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal, Enterprise Europe Network); EU LIFE Info days; National events advertising the calls; National Contact Points’ support.

2) Fill out the beneficiary survey yourselves as well (you should have received it by email from Ramboll, if not you than check with your colleagues working on LIFE projects), with a strong focus on the added value of the LIFE-CET subprogramme, notably the other actions co-funded at 95%.

3) If you have the time, please also fill out the general EU survey on the same topic, it’s shorter but nevertheless another channel to share messages, here.

In terms of content in the survey, we were encouraged to:

• highlight as much as possible the necessity of the 95% co-funding rate given the specificity of the CSA projects in the clean energy sub-programme (please refer to our joint letter or feel free to use FEDARENE’s old recommendations enclosed as well in case you support them)
• propose how to strengthen synergies between the subprogrammes but with also other EU funding programmes and initiatives
• share insights on the added value of providing EU support via directly managed programmes (instead of shared mgt) to actions taking place at local and regional level. Context: In the general debate about EU funding support, there are discussions on the added value of financing from EU direct managed programmes actions for the local and regional level, and conversely to what extent this type of activities are not better served by national funding and EU shared management programmes under the direct responsibility of Member States.
• As a reminder, the projects we’ve been advocating for are categorised as “other actions” under the sub-programme Clean Energy Transition (LIFE-CET) of LIFE; if these are the type of projects you will be referring to, then you should make sure it is very clear that your encouragements of continuation are targeting this type of projects with their specific conditions, and not the LIFE programme as a whole.

4) Engage with your LIFE national contact points in charge of energy in order to share your messages with them and stay up to date on developments.

5) Don’t hesitate to reach out to FEDARENE for support!