Rural Europe on the move English_E_version_all | Page 52

CHAPTER 4
LEADER
‘LEADER’, (Liaison Entre Actions de Développement LEADER focuses on endogenous development
de l’Économie Rurale) the rural development with an integrated multi-sectoral perspective,
programme and method to promote partnership encouraging innovation, international cooperation
between civil society, entrepreneurs and public and exchange of experiences. The heart of LEADER
bodies, is one of the most remarkable success projects are so called LAGs (Local Action Groups),
stories in the European Union. With the LEADER working in partnership between the public
programme, which started in 1991, the EU and private sector. LAGs are usually constituted
for the first time encouraged member states as non-profit-making organisations, in charge
to establish bottom-up participatory development of involving local people to define the Local
projects. LEADER later became part of rural policy Development Strategies (LDS) of their respective
programmes and is still a very important element territories and to implement it.
of the Common Agricultural Policy.
CLLD
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‘CLLD’, Community-Led Local Development is the rural development challenges than before – such as
export of the LEADER approach to all EU structural cooperation between the rural, fisheries and urban
funds. Since the programming period from 2014- areas, social cohesion and essential services for rural
2020, it can be applied in European Agricultural residents, services for the disabled and ICT.
Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), European The 217 rural LAGs who joined the initiative in
Regional Development (ERDF), European Social 1991 have now grown in number to 3000 in 2019,
Fund (ESF) and European Maritime and Fisheries including coastal and urban territories. The LEADER
Fund (EMFF) Fund. This has allowed for a more and CLLD method is also being applied and spread
diverse funding mechanism. LEADER LAGs and in many neighbouring countries of the EU, in Latin
CLLD projects can now deal with more complex America, Africa and Asia.