The World journal has published a new article entitled “CLLD in the 2014–2020 EU Programming Period: An Innovative Framework for Local Development”, by Stefan Kah, Haris Martinos and Urszula Budzich-Tabor. The paper builds on the country summaries and horizontal analyses developed as part of LDnet’s CLLD in Europe initiative, and includes extensive reflections on ‘The […]
About LDnet
LDnet General Assembly & the debate on “Capacity building for local development”- Key messages & full recording
The General Assembly of LDnet took place online on 14 February 2023. As in previous years, it was open to LDnet members, friends and contributors. The full recording is available HERE. Key points from the presentations and discussions are summarised below. Capacity building for Community Led Local Development Its main theme was devoted to […]
European Commission and Council responses to the ECA report on LEADER/CLLD
We have already published our review of the special report of the European Court of Auditors on LEADER and CLLD, in response to the overall message from the ECA that “LEADER and community-led local development facilitates local engagement but additional benefits still not sufficiently demonstrated”. We now publish the formal responses of the European Commission […]
RSA Annual Conference 2023: Policies and Planning for People and Places
The 2023 RSA Annual Conference will take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia between 14–17 June 2023 and is entitled “Transforming Regions: Policies and Planning for People and Places”. Planning is well underway. Registration is due to open in January 2023, and proposals for special sessions or abstracts can be submitted now. More information HERE.
The added-value of CLLD in Interreg
This study has been carried out by Jean-Pierre Vercruysse for Directorate D, DG REGIO of the European Commission with the purpose of better understanding the added-value of cross-border CLLD in the framework of Interreg. We publish below the Executive Summary of the study. The full report is available HERE. Community-Led Local Development The added-value of […]
Michael Dower (1933 – 2022)
We are very saddened at the news of the death of Michael Dower, a great champion of rural communities, leading light in rural development, long-standing friend and member of LDnet. Michael passed away on 7 November 2022. He had a long and fruitful life. He trained as a chartered surveyor and town planner followed by […]
A review of the ECA report on LEADER and CLLD
The European Court of Auditors has recently published a special report on LEADER and CLLD and we have presented it HERE. The overall message from the ECA is that “LEADER and community-led local development facilitates local engagement but additional benefits still not sufficiently demonstrated”. The analysis and conclusions of the report merit a thorough examination […]
Resilient coastal communities: a guide for FLAGs
“Resilient rural communities” is a topic we have addressed on several occasions, including research publications on rural proofing, articles on the core principles of resilience and resilient villages and LDnet’s participation in the Erasmus+ project REBOUND. We are now highlighting a practical guide on “resilient coastal communities” which was published at the final stage of […]
European Rural Parliament 2022 – Resilience to Crises, Security and Solidarity
Report, Joint Declaration & Workshop (Does anyone listen?) The fifth meeting of the European Rural Parliament took place in Kielce, Poland, from 12 to 15 September 2022. The European Rural Parliament is a process aimed to strengthen the voice of rural communities in Europe, to promote self-help, solidarity, exchange and cooperation between rural communities and […]
Grant applications for the Fourth Underground4value Training School (6-10 February 2023, Malta)
The COST Action CA18110 – Underground Built Heritage as catalyser for Community Valorisation is issuing a Call for Applications for its Fourth Training School, managed by the University of Malta, which will be held in Mellieha (Malta) from February 6th to 10th, 2023. Structured in lectures and tutored research teamwork modules, the school will focus […]
InDaLE project – Innovative public service provision in rural areas: Closing event 13 December 2022
Innovative public service provision in rural areas: Mutual learning between Germany, Sweden, Austria and Scotland The InDaLE research project In many structurally weak and sparsely populated rural regions of Europe, demographic change coupled with unstable local finances are pushing public services to the brink of their feasibility. With this, the quality of life in such […]
The 40th anniversary of OECD’s ILE/LEED programme: Lessons for the future
This document was written by Ron Gass for the 40th Anniversary of the Local Employment Initiatives Programme (ILE) and the Local Employment and Economic Development Programme (LEED). The anniversary was celebrated at the OECD Local Development Forum held in Cork, Ireland on 15th-17th June 2022. Mr Gass was OECD’s Director of Social Affairs, Manpower and […]