Environmental Sustainability

Links to Further Information:

The following can be accessed via links listed at the bottom of this page:

• Environmental Sustainability Guidance for Project Applicants.
• Good Practice Project Case Studies.
• Related documents.

The Environmental Sustainability Cross Cutting Theme
Under the Treaty of Amsterdam, the European Union's financial instruments are required to work, simultaneously and in the long-term interest, towards economic growth, social cohesion and the protection of the environment; in other words, sustainable development. The economic and social elements of sustainable development have played a significant part in European Structural Funds for many years, and the priority given to the environmental element is enhanced in the 2000-2006 programmes by the cross cutting theme of environmental sustainability. This means that environmental objectives should be integrated within all aspects of European funding programmes and projects.

Environmental Sustainability Cross Cutting Theme Research – A report is available below of what European funded projects in the East of England think of the requirements to integrate environmental good practice. Overall the report finds that "environmental sustainability is received positively by projects, improves their environmental performance, presents them with few difficulties and secures wide ranging positive benefits". (See related links).

The following reports are available to download from hyperlinks at the page bottom:

• Promoting Regional Sustainable Development through European Funding Programmes: Experiences from the East of England.
• CFO & Sustainable Development Workshop Report.
• ESF & Sustainable Development Seminar Report.

Integration of Environmental Sustainability within Objective 2, Objective 3 & URBAN II
The East of England Objective 2, Objective 3 and URBAN II programmes integrate the environmental sustainability cross cutting theme at both programme and project levels in the following ways.

Programme level	Competent Environmental Authorities
	As holder of overall accountability for Structural Funds in England, the Communities and Local Government (CLG) has nominated 3 'Competent Environmental Authorities' (CEA's) to provide environmental advice and information. These are the Environment Agency, Countryside agency and English Nature In the East of England, the Environment Agency represents the views of all 3 CEA's on the Structural Funds Strategy Group as well as the individual programme groups. The 3 CEA's, plus English Heritage, also contribute towards the funding of the regional Environmental Sustainability Theme Manager position (see below).   SFSG Environmental Sustainability Advisory Group The Environmental Sustainability Advisory Group (ESAG) exists to advise the Structural Funds Strategy Group on environmental matters in relation to the various East of England European funding programmes. Further details, including the group's Terms of Reference and meeting minutes are published on this website. (See Further Information).
	Environmental Sustainability Theme Manager An Environmental Sustainability Theme Manager is based with the European Secretariat at the Government Office, seconded from the Environment Agency. The Managers role is to support and co-ordinate the integration of environmental sustainability within the Objective 2, Objective 3 and URBAN II programmes.   Project Appraisal Environmental sustainability criteria form an important element in the appraisal process to which all projects seeking European funding are subjected. Projects which fail to address their environmental sustainability aspects will not receive support from the Objective 2, Objective 3 and URBAN II European funding programmes.
Project level	Environmental Guidance for Objective 2, Objective 3 & URBAN II Project Applicants
	Detailed guidance material to assist Objective 2, Objective 3 and URBAN II project applicants to integrate environmental sustainability within their projects can be viewed and downloaded (see Related Documents). Good Practice Project Case Studies Examples of European funded projects which illustrate environmental sustainability good practice in their design and/or delivery are available. These may be of use to project applicants in designing their projects, as well as assisting existing projects to improve their delivery. (See further information).