Strengthening partnerships with Europe

The LIFE program is a financial instrument of the European Commission entirely dedicated to supporting environement and climate projects. It is aimed at public and private project leaders and aims to promote and finance innovative projects related to species and habitat conservation, soil protection, air or water quality improvement, waste management, climate change mitigation or adaptation and energy transition.

On Tuesday, March 29, the association of Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTA) organized a videoconference on this topic in conjunction with the association Enviropea, specializing in the support of project leaders involved in European programs.

Representatives from the office of Mickaël Forrest, the Minister in charge of monitoring New Caledonia's external relations in collaboration with the President of the Government, were able to have discussions with participants  regarding the operations planned as a part of the project.

Calls for Projects Soon to be Published

For the 2021-2027 period,, the LIFE program has a budget of 5.4 billion euros at the European level divided into 4 sub-programs whose themes concern primarily the overseas communities heavily impacted by environmental damage and global warming:

• Nature and Biodiversity;

• The Circular Economy and Quality of Life;

• Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation;

• The Transition to Clean Energy

Various calls for projects related to these major concerns for New Caledonia will soon be posted on the government website

High stakes

"These various discussions help to strengthen the partnership between New Caledonia and Europe," emphasized Mickaël Forrest, "They contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms in place and the opportunities available to New Caledonian actors likely to apply for European funding.

Government President Louis Mapou, appointed to the presidency of OCTA in July 2021 had stated a few days after officially taking office that he would will be "particularly attentive to the participatory process of developing the new strategy of OCTA for the period 2021-2027; a document that will be decisive in the upcoming discussions regarding the future support of the European Union in favor of the activities of our organization."

The Presidency thus undertook to define the priority areas it wished to see supported, namely the "blue" economic recovery, the implementation of the "Green Pact for Europe" in the OCTs and regional integration, "which respond to strong issues in our territories".

The main orientations in the Life Program 2021-2027 correspond to  the challenges facing the Overseas Territories.