To inform, promote, make known, popularise … – AEIDL has been the “Communications Team” of the LIFE programme, the EU’s funding instrument for the environment, since 2001.
The general objective of LIFE is to contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental policy and legislation by co-financing pilot or demonstration projects with European added value.
LIFE began in 1992 and to date there have been four complete phases of the programme (LIFE I: 1992-1995, LIFE II: 1996-1999, LIFE III: 2000-2006 and LIFE+: 2007-2013), which have been the subject of coordination and communication contracts awarded to AEIDL. During this period, LIFE has co-financed some 3954 projects across the EU, contributing approximately €3.1 billion to the protection of the environment. A new Regulation establishes the Environment and Climate Action sub-programmes of the LIFE Programme for the 2014-2020 funding period. The budget for the period is set at €3.4 billion in current prices.
The European Commission (DG Environment and DG Climate Action) manages the LIFE programme. The Commission has delegated the implementation of many components of the LIFE programme to the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME). External selection, monitoring and communication teams provide assistance to the Commission and EASME.
As the LIFE Communications Team, AEIDL’s task is to provide technical support and assistance for European-level communication activities. This primarily involves the dissemination of the results of supported projects and facilitating the transfer of experience and know-how to specific target groups. AEIDL is responsible for a variety of specific tasks, including the production and dissemination of thematic publications and best practices, the design and maintenance of the LIFE website and databases, and the organisation of seminars and events.
Within AEIDL, the LIFE team consists of 14 people, including specialists in nature and the environment, as well as communications (journalism, graphic and web design, database design and management, etc.).
