This paper ‘Slovenia monitors and evaluates the LEADER/CLLD delivery’ by Dr Irma Potočnik Slavič offers an analysis of the processes that have had a key impact on rural development in Slovenia after independence in 1991. It is important for professionals dealing with rural development and, at the same time, contributes to the development of the […]
Publications
LEADER: Where it came from and what’s still in it (2nd edition)
LEADER has a long history and is still going strong. Robert Lukesch gave a talk in the final conference of the transnational project ‘LEADER/CLLD: Our common future’ on 4-6 November 2024, in Cheleiros/Mafra, Portugal, on the topic of ‘LEADER: Where it came from and what’s still in it’. This was based on a treatise in […]
The road to the next multiannual financial framework
In a recent post we highlighted that the debate is starting about the next MFF of the EU and the theat it presents for local development in rural and urban areas. On 11 February 2025 the European Commission published a Communication “The road to the next multiannual financial framework” marking the first formal step in […]
Post-2027 EU funding for local development under threat
The debate has started about the next MFF of the EU. Although there are no formally proposals in the public domain, informal briefings have raised concerns about the possible implications of a new MFF archtecture for the local and regional level. These concerns stem mostly from two features highlighted in two recent news items: The […]
CoR: Programmes led by local action groups and communities must be reinforced and simplified
The Commission for Natural Resources (NAT) of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) discussed at its meeting on 27 November 2024 a draft opinion on “How post-27 LEADER and CLLD programming could contribute to better implementation of the long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas” (Rapporteur: Thibaut Guignar, Mayor of Plœuc-l’Hermitage). In this opinion […]
EU budget and place-based policies
The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) adopted an own initiative opinion in November 2024 on “EU budget and place-based policies: proposals for new design and delivery mechanisms in the MFF post-2027” (Rapporteur: Marie-Antoinette MAUPERTUIS, President of the Corsican Assembly). This opinion is part of a package of own intiative opinions aimining to define CoR’s […]
FAMENET report: What does CLLD bring to coastal and fisheries communities around Europe?
This report, published in December 2024, follows a FAMENET survey of FLAGs and brings together information provided by around 150 FLAGs, as well as official information reported to the European Commission by national authorities managing the European Fisheries and Maritime Fund in 2014-2020 (EMFF). The report, titled What does CLLD bring to coastal and fisheries […]
Moving forward with LDnet
LDnet is entering a new phase in its work. We reconstituted ourselves in 2010 building on the success of the LEDA network which had been running for more than two decades. Since then we have been the only non-profit association committed to spreading the word that local development is the real deal. Local development is […]
Territorial development for the green transition: Harnessing the potential of rural communities
The Rural Pact is part of the European Commission’s Action Plan to achieve the long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas by 2040. The Pact aims to mobilise all stakeholders interested in rural areas (public authorities, civil society, businesses, researchers, and individuals) to contribute to achieving the rural vision. An important function of the Rural Pact is […]
Smart Rurality: Reconciling Convergence with Growth and Wellbeing at Local Level?
Over the past decade, Smart Rurality has gained significant traction in Europe, with various declarations advocating for it as a pathway to just transition and rural revitalization. Despite its popularity, the concept remains somewhat ambiguous. A policy brief by Carla Lostrangio, Expert in Rural and Territorial Development (AEIDL), delves into the components that define a […]
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 […]
25 years of LEADER: What impacts?
The Austrian LAG Styrian Volcanic Land (Steirisches Vulkanland) wanted to know what its local development efforts stretching over a quarter of a century have been ultimately good for. This groundbreaking impact study was entrusted to an ÖAR team assisted by students from the Vienna University [1] Robert Lukesch The study aimed to evaluate the intended […]