The rapporteur recommends supporting the compromise package, agreed in the first reading with the Council, which has broad support among the political groups.
The agreement includes positive measures. An indicative allocation of three integrated projects per EU country will be set to ensure geographical balance and create an incentive for using this new project type. For 'traditional projects', indicative national allocations will apply only during the first multi-annual work programme (2014-2017) and only to the environment sub-programme.
To balance distribution across the EU, countries with a low absorption rate will be supported via capacity-building projects – one per country (up to €1 million) in the first multi-annual work programme and up to two in the second multiannual work programme (up to €750 000).
The agreement sets co-financing rates at 60% for integrated projects, 60% for priority area nature and biodiversity, and up to 75% for priority habitats and species. Initially the co-financing rate for environment and resource efficiency, and environmental governance and information, and for the climate action sub-programme will be 60%, decreasing to 55% in 2018-2020. At least 55% of the LIFE budget will be ring-fenced for nature conservation and biodiversity projects.