Cohesion policy investing in
biodiversity
Mathieu Fichter
Team leader "Sustainable Growth"
European Commission - DG REGIO
Content
1) Biodiversity in the current cohesion
policy
2) Biodiversity in the proposal for the
2014-2020 cohesion policy
3) Project examples
2
Biodiversity in the
2007-13 cohesion policy
3
Cohesion Policy 2007-13
Cohesion
Policy 07-13
(€ 348 billion)
European Regional
Development Fund
Cohesion Fund
European Social
Fund
(ESF)
(ERDF)
DG REGIO
DG EMPLOYMENT
4
Investments into 'environment' in 2007-13
Cohesion Policy
€ 105 billion for the
environment over
2007-2013
30% of total available
funding 2007-2013
- € 54 B on
'environmental
services': waste &
water management,
nature & biodiversity
protection, risk
prevention
- € 48 B on 'lowcarbon': clean
transport, energy
efficiency &
renewables
- € 3 B on ecoinnovation in SMEs
5
Investments
• Nature protection & biodiversity seen through the concept of
‘ecosystem services’
• Direct support to nature/biodiversity (including Natura 2000) :
– € 3,9 billion (promotion of biodiversity and natural assets and
nature protection)
• Indirect support to nature/biodiversity:
– € 19.3 billion (waste water treatment, rehabilitation of
contaminated sites, natural risk prevention)
• This amount is leveraged by national contributions!
6
Use of 2007-13 Cohesion Policy funding on 'Biodiversity' by end 2011
(EU average of 58%)
1,000,000,000
900,000,000
800,000,000
700,000,000
600,000,000
Planned
amount
by MS in
€
500,000,000
400,000,000
300,000,000
Amount
allocated
to
projects
by end
2011 in €
200,000,000
100,000,000
0
AT BE BG CB CY CZ DE DK EE ES
FI
FR GR HU
IE
IT
LT
LV MT NL PL PT RO SE
SI
SK UK
7
Biodiversity in the
proposal for the 20142020 cohesion policy
8
Cohesion policy 2014-20: mission & goals
• Adoption of EC proposal on 06/10/2010
COM(2011) 615
• Mission:
– reduce disparities between Europe's regions
strengthening economic, social and terrritorial
cohesion
– contribute to the Union Strategy of smart,
sustainable and inclusive growth
• Goals:
– Investment for growth and jobs
– European Territorial cooperation
9
Thematic objectives
• Among the 11 thematic objectives, 3 on sustainable
growth:
– Supporting the shift towards a low-carbon economy in all
sectors (Thematic Objective Nr 4)
– Promoting climate change adaptation, risk prevention and
management (Thematic Objective Nr 5)
– Protecting the environment and promoting resource
efficiency (Thematic Objective Nr 6)
• For every thematic objective there’s a list of
investment priorities which set the aims for intervention
10
Thematic concentration
Minimum share of ERDF investments on:
• shift towards a low carbon economy
• research & innovation
• competitiveness of SMEs
6%
80%
50%
20%
More developed & transition regions
Less developed regions
11
Proposal for the 2014-2020 CP regulation
• ERDF Investment Priority on:
•"protecting biodiversity, soil protection and promoting ecosystem services
including NATURA 2000 and green infrastructures;
• "action to improve the urban environment, including regeneration of
brownfield sites and reduction of air pollution";
• Cohesion Fund Investment Priority on:
• "protecting and restoring biodiversity, including through green infrastructures"
• "improving the urban environment, including regeneration of brownfield sites
and reduction of air pollution
•Differences between scope of ERDF vs. CF on:
• Natura 2000 (not in CF)
• Soil protection (not in CF)
• Restoring biodiversity (not in ERDF)
Common Strategic Framework
• Key targets and objectives of all the CSF Funds (ERDF,
EAFRD, Cohesion Fund, EMFF, ESF)
• Key actions for each for each CSF Fund: identify those key
actions with the greatest impact on growth and jobs
• General implementation principles of the CSF Funds
• Facilitate the development of Partnership Contracts & OP's
• Closer coordination of CSF funds to achieve simplification &
increased synergies among funds
13
Common Strategic Framework
Investment in
Natura 2000
Prioritised Action
Framework
Investments in
biodiversity &
ecosystem
services
Risk prevention
Soil protection
Financial instruments
Investments
in green
infrastructure
Coastal protection
Water retention,
wetlands…
Community led local development (CLLD)
• New possibility in 2014-2020 cohesion policy
• Have an integrated bottom-up approach & ensure
involvement of local communities
• Integrated, multi-sectoral & area-based local development
• Led by local action groups (public & private local socioeconomic interests): design & implement local development
strategies
• Potentially good instrument for 'biodiversity type'
projects/programmes
• MS need to 'select' it in the Partnership Agreement
•
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/informat/2014/community_en.pdf
15
Innovation for sustainable growth with
the 2014-2020 cohesion policy
Photo credit: Kheng Guan Toh
16
Cohesion
Policy funding
for R&I
2007-2013
Cohesion Policy
innovation support
over total aid:
 4% in 89’-93’
 7% in 94’-99’
 11% in 00’-06’
 25% in 07’-13’
17
Areas of investments in innovations
Innovation
• Invest in innovation for:
Water efficiency, water recycling
Development & deployment of monitoring systems in:
• Biodiversity (bio-indicators…)
• Air quality…
Ecosystem services, Payment for Ecosystem
Services…
Geographic & Environmental information systems
(GMES – Inspire Directive)
Resource efficiency
Eco-innovations in companies/SMEs
18
Sustainable Urban Development
• Support integrated actions to tackle the economic,
environmental, climate and social challenges affecting
urban areas
• ERDF = increased focus on sustainable urban
development:
– to be achieved through earmarking of a minimum of 5% of
national ERDF resources for SUD
• Integrate biodiversity/nature aspects in sustainable urban
development programmes/plans
19
Strategic programming
Thematic objectives
contribute to EU 2020
Alignment with EU
2020: evaluation,
results expected,
indicative allocation by
thematic objective
Strategy consistent with
CSF, thematic
objectives, investment
priorities, etc.
Proposed by Commission
Common Strategic
Commission delegated act
Framework
Partnership
Contract
Operational
Programmes
Projects
Prepared by MS in dialogue
with Commission, approval if
Commission observations
taken into account
Drawn up by MS in
cooperation with partners
MS, except major projects,
where documentation
submitted to Commission,
approval needed
Increasing MS competence
Translates objectives
and targets of EU 2020
into key actions
Regulations
20
Project examples
21
Geographic information system in Caribbean's
• CARIBSAT: Caribbean Satellite Environmental
Information System (www.caribstat.com)
• Launched in 2009 for 2 years - € 2.8 Million
with € 1.9 Million ERDF - Lead Partner: Centre
IRD Martinique-Caraïbes
• International partnership with public bodies,
universities, research organisations
• Develop instrument to monitor the
environment in the Lesser Antilles based on
an online geographic atlas supplied by
satellite images, ground environmental
data & hydro-meteorological reports
• Targeted on preservation of the
biodiversity in land and sea, the
management of the natural risks & impact of
climate change
22
Azorean Biodiversity Portal
• ERDF co-financed development of a unique
IT based information system on
biodiversity in the Azores islands,
www.azoresbioportal.angra.uac.pt
• Resource for fundamental research in
biodiversity, education and conservation
management
• Provides an original platform for biogeographical and macro-ecological research
on islands
• Species database comprised of spatial gridbased (500x500 m) presence-absence
information for ca. 5000 species
• Many species are also accompanied by
images from collections and/or live specimen
23
Research on Biodiversity in Canarias Islands
• Centre for research in biodiversity
& environment
• University of Las Palmas de Gran
Canaria – 3 research groups to
improve knowledge &
management of natural areas in
Canarias - www.bioges.org
• Creation of a biodiversity data
bank http://www.biodiversidadcanarias.es
24
Water retention in forests in PL
• Improving the surface water
resources, soil and groundwater
• Re-naturisation of watercourses
and wetlands
• Aligning and slowing water runoff
during flood events (flood retention)
• Minimizing the risk and preventing
droughts
25
Small scale water retention in lowlands
Est.Investment: ca. 50 M EUR (ca. 34,2 M by
Cohesion Fund)
Number of over 3000
structures:
Water Storage over 31 million m3 (including
Capacity: storage of groundwater)
Small scale water retention in mountain areas
Est.Investment: ca. 43 M EUR (ca. 30 M by
Cohesion Fund)
Number of over 3500
structures:
Water Storage over 1,2 million m3 without
Capacity: storage of groundwater
26
Green Infrastructure (eco-corridors) in FR
• Build a regional network of preserved areas
based on ecological corridors (Green &
Blue corridors)
• Deployment of territorial contracts on
‘biological corridors’
• Extensive work with local actors /
municipalities / associations / environment
and water authorities
• Investments in eco-bridges, restoration of
wetlands, trainings in schools and
municipalities…
• Planned costs over 5 years : € 3.6 million
with 1.28 million ERDF.
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Conclusions
• Funding still available to invest in
biodiversity through current
Cohesion Policy in the next years
(actual spending of current Cohesion
Policy until 2015)!’
• Future Cohesion Policy provides clear
support to biodiversity, Natura 2000 &
Green Infrastructure
• Prepare now the post-2013 period!
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Many thanks for your attention
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