EUROPEAN COMMISSION MEMO Brussels, 30 April 2014 The 2013 LIFE projects Belgium (BE) 4 projects (28.7 million euros) LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance (2 projects – 9.8 million) LIFE-GREEN4GREY (Vlaamse Landmaatschappij): This project intends to demonstrate the innovative development and design of multifunctional green and blue infrastructure elements in seven peri-urban areas of Brussels and Hasselt-Genk, in order to tackle the environmental and health problems linked to unsustainable urban sprawl. Contact: [email protected] LIFE OxyUp (XYLOWATT SA): This project intends to validate a new and economically- viable oxy-gasification unit, testing it as an alternative to fossil fuel, in energy-intensive industries such as brickmaking, glass and tile manufacturing. The project will also test the viability of the technology when using various “difficult” biomasses such as sludge from wastewater treatment or agro-residues. (Relevant to Climate Change). Contact: [email protected] LIFE+ Nature (2 projects – 18.9 million) HELVEX-LIFE (BENEGO/Grenspark De Zoom - Kalmthoutse Heide): The project intends to restore and develop degraded habitats, including dune grasslands, dry and wet heaths and freshwater habitats in a nature reserve straddling the Belgian-Dutch border. Breeding birds, such as the European nightjar and tree lark are expected to benefit from the restoration measures. This project will build on the results of a previous LIFE project, HELA, and will be aligned with a new long-term management plan for the reserve. Contact: [email protected] LIFE Pays mosan (Réserves Naturelles RNOB asbl): The project’s overall objective is to restore a mosaic of five threatened habitats in order to improve their conservation status and connectivity within the basin of the Meuse (‘Maas’) River and its tributaries between Andenne and Maastricht. Contact: [email protected] NB: The sums indicated refer to the total budget of the projects in euros Member States are listed in EU protocol order MEMO/14/320 Bulgaria (BG) 1 project (0.5 million) LIFE+ Nature (1 project – 0.5 million) LIFE Riparian Forests (Executive Forestry Agency): The overall objective of the project is to improve the conservation status of alluvial forests with black alder and European ash in two Bulgarian sites of Community importance. The project also aims to improve the knowledge base and build local capacity for the restoration and management of these alluvial forests. Contact: [email protected] Czech Republic (CZ) 1 project (0.6 million) LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance (1 project – 0.6 million) LIFE2Water (AQUA PROCON s.r.o.): The goals of the LIFE2Water project are to implement innovative technologies for tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater with a significant potential for improvement of effluent quality and to verify these technologies at pilot scale with the aim of contributing to the achievement of a good ecological status of aquatic ecosystems. Contact: [email protected] Denmark (DK) 2 projects (4.6 million) LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance (1 project – 1.7 million) LIFE NOVADRAIN (Knowledge Centre for Agriculture): This project aims to demonstrate two innovative drainage water filtration technologies at catchment and field scale. These new methods are expected to be cost-efficient ways of meeting the requirements of the Water Framework Directive, the Habitats Directive and the Floods Directive. The filters being tested should reduce the loss of nutrients from agricultural drainage and other drainage systems, both now and under future climatic conditions. Contact: [email protected] LIFE+ Nature (1 projects – 2.9 million) REWETDUNE-LIFE (Danish Nature Agency): The project will tackle all threats at local level in order to significantly improve the conservation status of the wet and dune habitats on the two northernmost Natura 2000 sites in Denmark. It also aims to create favourable conditions for two bird species: the great bittern (Botaurus stellaris) and the wood sandpiper (Tringa glareola). Contact: [email protected], [email protected] 2 Germany (DE) 6 projects (36.4 million) LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance (2 projects – 23.2 million) LIFE+ CELSTAB (Procter & Gamble Service GmbH): This project will demonstrate on an industrial scale the feasibility of upscaling and integrating processes for the production of a new absorbent core and cellulose component for a specific feminine hygiene product. The process will combine patented technology in a new multilayer arrangement that uses 15-25% less material and reduces emissions by 10-15% tCO2 equivalent per year with an overall target for waste prevention of 15-25%. The innovative multi-layer material concept and technology aims to meet consumer product, quality and industrial-scale production process requirements. Contact: [email protected] SAFR (Trianel GmbH): The project aims to enable a further expansion of the share of distributed renewable energy sources (DRES) by developing an innovative and highly flexible thermoelectric energy storage system. This system, which will be demonstrated on Fehmarn Island, will operate as a flexible load (in order to avoid congestion) and as a generation unit (serving as a source of electricity in times of peak demand). The storage solution is highly flexible, location-independent and operates without emissions. (Relevant to Climate Change). Contact: [email protected] LIFE+ Nature (4 projects – 13.2 million) LIFE Forests-waterworlds (Landesbetrieb Wald und Holz NRW, Regionalforstamt Rhein-Sieg-Erft): The project’s main objective centres on conserving and developing oak-hornbeam forests, beech forests and lowland hay meadows in North Rhine-Westphalia. The project also seeks to preserve and support woodland bird species (black, middle spotted and grey-headed woodpeckers). In order to preserve and support the existing populations of amphibian species such as the warty newt, midwife toad and agile frog, work to improve water and wetland habitats is also planned. Contact: rhein- [email protected] LIFE Hochwald (Stiftung Natur und Umwelt Rheinland-Pfalz): The main objective of the project is the regeneration and protection of transition mires and bog woodlands inside the Natura 2000 site Hochwald in the Hunsrück low mountain range. The project seeks to restore ‘Luzulo-Fagetum beech forests’ in the adjacent areas on drier ground, and to develop the priority habitat type ‘Alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior’ along the Thranenbach brook inside the Natura 2000 area, Obere Nahe. The project also aims to initiate and develop the endangered habitat type ‘Molinia meadows’. Contact: [email protected] LIFE Feuchtwälder (Stiftung NaturSchutzFonds Brandenburg): The project’s main aims focus on securing and restoring floodplains that include habitats of bog woodlands and alluvial forests in three riverine systems in Brandenburg. The project will re-establish a near-natural water regime within the alluvial areas and forests, as well as associated waterways. Moreover, in order to improve the conservation status of these alluvial forests, it will also stabilise and increase the interdependence between the watercourse and its floodplain. Contact: [email protected] 3 LIFE Luchs Pfälzerwald (Stiftung Natur und Umwelt Rheinland-Pfalz): The project’s main aim is to re-establish a lynx population in the Palatinate Forest, Rheinland- Pfalz. This will be achieved through a reintroduction programme involving the release of 20 lynx brought from Switzerland and Slovakia. Contact: [email protected] Estonia (EE) 1 project (3.7 million) LIFE+ Nature (1 project – 3.7 million) LIFE to alvars (The Environmental Board): The project’s main objective is to restore alvar areas on 2 500 ha of land and to create the right conditions for local farmers to manage these areas after restoration. The project also aims to directly involve private land owners and to raise awareness amongst the local community and the wider public. Contact: [email protected] Ireland (IE) 3 projects (11.7 million) LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance (1 project – 3.6 million) WISER LIFE (The Rediscovery Centre Ltd.): The project will demonstrate best practice in waste reuse and preparation for reuse through the creation of an innovative centre demonstrating excellence in reuse at every level of interaction, supported by an eco- cluster of resource-efficient enterprises, and complemented by a suite for environmental education, training and research programmes. Contact: [email protected] LIFE+ Nature (2 projects – 8.1 million) LIFE Kerry (Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht): The project aims to improve the conservation status of pearl mussels on the catchments of the rivers Caragh and Blackwater (Kerry) which form part of the Killarney National Park, included in the Natura 2000 network sites (Macgillycuddy's Reeks and Caragh River Catchment, and Blackwater River (Kerry)) by the development and implementation of effective and cost- efficient measures for reducing diffuse losses of sediment and nutrients from forestry and farming. Contact: [email protected] Raptor LIFE (IRD Duhallow Ltd): The objective of the project is to restore hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) populations and enhance habitats for a range of species included in Annex I of the Birds Directive and Annex II of the Habitats Directive. This will be done by restoring habitat across a range of land use types through an integrated