6 July 2009 – General Call for Proposals under the global programme “Environment and sustainable management of natural resources including energy (ENRTP)” will be launched at the end of July 2009

The deadline for the submission of the concept note is likely to be end September 2009.

Total budget of the call is EUR 62 650 000. The maximum possible rate of co-financing for grants is 80%. Size of grants will range from EUR 500 000 up to EUR 2 500 000. Duration of projects shall not be lower than 18 months nor exceed 60 months.

Projects in the following three priorities will be financed:

• Priority 1: Working upstream in assisting developing countries to achieve the MDG7 on environmental sustainability;
• Priority 2: Promoting implementation of EU initiatives and internationally agreed commitments;
• Priority 5: Support for sustainable energy options in partner countries and regions.

The Guidelines of the envisaged Call for proposals will further detail the specific areas / ecosystems for interventions focussing mainly on specific sub-themes. For each sub-theme, there are specific rules concerning targeted sector and eligible countries.

Information on whether Belarus can participate in a specific sub-theme will be provided in the Guidelines of the envisaged Call. However, there are two sub-themes where participation of Belarus is already planned:

Lot: Priority 2 / Biodiversity and Climate Change / ENPI

Type of actions eligible for financing

• Ensuring that land use management and water management take into account local climate change scenarios. This should be done in a mutually supportive way in order to strengthen ecosystem resilience while reducing the vulnerability of beneficiary countries to climate change. This includes facilitating collaboration among concerned persons and groups, followed by joint planning and implementation.
• Establishment of green infrastructure, e.g. maintenance and restoration of wetlands (e.g. for flood protection, provision of habitat) and forests (e.g. for water regulation, provision of habitat) so as to increase resilience of livelihoods and ecosystems against climate change and also contribute to climate change mitigation.

Lot: Priority 5 / Sustainable energy / ENPI - B) Eastern European neighbourhood

Actions enhancing energy security in the Eastern European neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument countries in particular through:

• promoting development of a better convergence of legislative and regulatory frameworks in the energy sector,
• promoting clean, environmental friendly energy technologies, including for fossil fuels,
• promoting the use of renewable energy sources and energy savings and efficiency measures,
• facilitating development of energy infrastructures in support of the above objectives.

More information about this call for proposals is available on the following website: http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/worldwide/environment/index_en.htm

Detailed description of the Call is available in Action Fiche J of 2009 Annual Action Programme (AAP)

‘Environment and sustainable management of natural resources including energy’ thematic programme (ENRTP) has earmarked an amount of €804 million for the seven years between 2007 and 2013. The indicative amount for the period 2007-2010 is €469.7 million, including €85.5 million for two new initiatives related to climate change and renewable energy. A four-year ENRTP strategy addresses environmental challenges that have a profound effect on the lives of poor people: rapidly degrading key ecosystems, climate change, poor global environmental governance and inadequate access to and security of energy supplies. Objective of the ENRTP is integrating environmental protection requirements into Community's development and other external policies as well as promoting the Community's environmental and energy policies abroad in a common interest of the Community and partner countries and regions. The ENRTP 2009 Annual Action Programme was adopted on 14 May 2009.

Source: Official website of the European Commission www.ec.europa.eu