The COTER Commission of the EU Committee of the Regions (CoR) is preparing a new draft Opinion on EU budget and place-based policies: proposals for new design and delivery mechanisms for the MFF post 2027 . It is seeking to define principles whereby the present complexity and overlaps among EU funds and instruments having a territorial […]
Social innovation in rural areas
Rural areas depend on a wide range of economic engines for growth, as well as the quality of place to attract and retain people. Social innovation seeks new answers to social and environmental problems, using new solutions that improve the quality of life for individuals and communities. Social innovation can be a tool to create […]
Use of ‘factors of success’ in evaluation
According to Article 1 of the European Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1475 “When evaluating their CAP Strategic Plans, Member States shall define evaluation questions and factors of success to assess the evaluation criteria of effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and Union added value referred to in Article 140(1) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115”. ‘Factors of success’ are […]
Insights into LEADER evaluations
Evaluating LEADER under CAP presents a substantial challenge. It is not just about measuring LEADER’s contribution to the CAP’s Specific Objectives, but also uncovering the added value generated from the application of the ‘LEADER method’. To help find a path forward, the European Evaluation Helpdesk for the CAP is working with experts to extract best […]
JRC Webinar Series – Future of Cities
This series focuses on The Future of Cities report which identifies challenges influencing the future of cities in Europe and beyond. It also presents several perspectives from which to look at resolving these issues. It is an initiative of the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the science and knowledge service of the European Commission (EC), supported by the Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban […]
Euracademy: Responsible Food Production and Consumption for a Sustainable Future, 16-20.6.2024, Greece
The 22nd Summer Academy of Euracademy will take place near Rafina in Attica, Greece, from 16 to 20 June 2024. The theme of the Academy is one of the closest to the heart of everyone, namely “Responsible Food Production and Consumption for a Sustainable Future” or what makes “Good Food” for us all. For further […]
“What next for local development?” – The recording of the debate
The General Assembly of the LEDA-Partenariat Association (LDnet) took place online on Monday 19 February 2024. It offered an opportunity to 35 participants, members and friends of LDnet, to discuss broader issues on local development and the priorities of LDnet for 2024. In the last year, LDnet has been actively involved in capacity building and […]
Webinar on Fostering Resilience in Rural Communities
Sharing experiences from an innovative training and capacity-building programme for voluntary and professional rural development practitioners. This EU-level webinar on Fostering Resilience in Rural Communities took place on Tuesday 23 January 2024. It was attended by some 160 active participants. The event was organised as part of the REBOUND project and presented key concepts and […]
Just transition and the contribution of social economy
This report is a pledge made as an answer to the call for pledges published by the European Commission as part of the transition pathway on proximity and social economy. The involves a pledge led by “Le Labo de l’ESS” in France, in partnership with “Pour la Solidarité” in Belgium, the European Network of Cities […]
Expert report: Delivering high quality CLLD in urban areas
LDnet was engaged by the European Urban Initiative (EUI) to prepare and deliver a capacity building event focused on CLLD which took place in Timisoara (Romania) in June 2023. It was organised by EUI with help from LDnet, with a team of moderators, expert in CLLD and EU urban initiatives. Community capacity building focuses on […]
How Social Enterprises can Combine Social and Economic Goals
A quarter century of experience with local community-based participatory approach in Quebec province (Canada). This initiative started about 25 years ago. In small towns, with 500 to 1000 population, there is no grocery store, no gas pump, no post office, etc. A solidarity coop, which is a multistakeholder coop, can operate a multipurpose coop, that […]
Artificial Intelligence, Collective Intelligence and Local Development
The knowledge of AI in relation to governance is at its infancy but there are signs that it could be of relevance and interest to participative approaches to local development and this makes it worth exploring it. We provide below some hints drawn from a growing pool of insights and examples of specific tools and […]