LIFE Capacity Building Slovenia is a first capacity building project in Slovenia. The project is coordinated by Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning (MESP), who is responsible for the implementation of LIFE programme in Slovenia. LIFE programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment, nature conservation and climate action. The first projects from Slovenia submitted for LIFE programme were in 2000. Since then a consistently small number of project proposals was submitted from Slovenia accompanied by a low success rate. This meant that fewer funds were received by Slovenian beneficiaries than it was initially reserved. There are several reasons for this, but certainly the lack of human resources at the ministry allocated to the implementation of the LIFE programme in the Republic of Slovenia is one of them. Therefore MESP seized an opportunity to obtain non-refundable funding for improving administrative capacity in this field. In order to promote the LIFE programme, a project tittled LIFE Capacity Building Slovenia was prepared. In each period each country has the right to one capacity building project.
The project is primarily aimed at enhancing knowledge of the preparation and management of projects under the terms of the LIFE programme. Therefore the project mainly aims at:
- demonstrating synergies between LIFE programme and other EU financial instruments in achieving the objectives of environmental policy, programmes and strategies and to increase the competence of using those resources;
- fostering and disseminating project management skills thereby empowering a project based approach to tackling environmental challenges;
- improving coordination among competent authorities for the preparation of larger, more complex integrated projects, aiming at the implementation of national action programs;
- increasing international (regional) cooperation in order to increase the resolution of trans boundary environmental issues;
- increasing the number and quality of LIFE programme project proposals aimed at implementation of national priorities of environmental acquis;
- sharing information on financial instruments as possible financial sources for financing LIFE projects.
The project will be implemented by a number of courses and workshops along with visits of best practices across Slovenia. Trainings and workshops will be aimed at different target audiences, providing them basic information about LIFE programme as well as expert knowledge on how to write a project proposal. Two conferences will be organised, aimed at encouraging networking among project implementers as well as those who are just planning a project proposal. Application package of Call 2016 for traditional projects will be translated into Slovene. A digital platform will be established along with project website, enabling search of project partners and providing information about the activities undertaken within the project.
Duration: 01/01/2016 – 30/06/2018, first extention till 31/12/2018, second extention 30/06/2019
Project budget: 1,218,146 €
EU contribution: 981,330 €
