The European Court of Auditors assesses the effectiveness of the European Commission’s management of the grants paid to LIFE-Nature projects in terms of the sustainability of their results. LIFE-Nature, a component of LIFE, co-finances projects in the Member States, mainly in relation to Natura 2000 sites, in favour of the conservation of species and habitats.

Overall, the projects audited have contributed to the conservation of the targeted species and habitats, namely in the Natura 2000 sites, thus contributing to the Member States’ efforts and supporting the volunteer work and commitment of EU citizens and their associations in favour of biodiversity conservation. However, the audit concluded that measures financed by LIFE-Nature are not, as yet, sufficiently safeguarded after completion of the projects.

Since the first LIFE instrument (LIFE is L’Instrument Financier pour l’Environnement) was introduced in 1992, the Commission has progressively developed and improved its management and control systems, inter alia by taking into account the results of the Court’s previous audits. Further changes were introduced with the start of the LIFE+ instrument for the period 2007-2013. Although significant progress has been made, there is still room for improvement to obtain an assurance that the conservation measures financed by the EU fulfil their objectives more effectively and are sustained after EU financing ceases.

The report provides details on the shortcomings detected in relation to the different phases of the management of the projects: selection procedure, implementation and monitoring of projects, dissemination of results and long-term management of the project results. The shortcomings highlighted should be addressed to safeguard the sustainability of project results.

It is recommended that the Commission should give further consideration to the various factors relating to the sustainability of the project results, improve dissemination of the knowledge acquired and set up a systematic follow-up of the projects after the final payment has been made.

The observations formulated will remain important for the Commission’s management, since the issues addressed also concern the new LIFE+ projects. In financial terms, LIFE is the most important European funding instrument that is specially dedicated to the environment and managed directly by the Commission, and is therefore an essential tool with regard to the objectives of the European Union’s environmental policy.