The debate on the MFF 2028-2024 has taken a step forward with the publication of the Council's Negotiating Box, drawn up and developed under the responsibility of the Presidency. Serafin Pazos-Vidal offers a critical look of the battlelines in the upcoming MFF negotiations. . MFF Negotiating Box – numbers on the table, fault lines exposed For the first time, the Negotiating Box comes with figures—and with it, a clearer sense of where the … Continue Reading
Future EU budget: regions and cities set out their key requests to reform Cohesion Policy
"Moreover, a minimum target of 20% of cohesion policy,rural areas and fisheries allocations must be spent for integrated territorial development strategies such as integrated territorial investments, community-led local development, LEADER or other territorial tools designed by Member States, in urban or rural areas, as a guarantee of a genuinely place-based approach that empowers local communities and stakeholders". The European Committee of … Continue Reading
Citizen science contributions to environmental risks assessment and management
Using Citizen Science with local communities to address environmental risk is an approach attracting considerable interest and is expected to be the subject of a webinar in the Autumn 2026. This publication, co-authored by LDnet members Joanna Storie and Ghieth Alkhateeb, is an example of the growing number of research contributions in this field. Citizen […]
LEADER-CLLD post 2027: redefining the place of the EU in local development
AEIDL has published a new discussion paper, authored by Raquel Pastor Carretero and Serafin Pazos-Vidal from AEIDL’s Rural and Territorial Development team. The paper examines how the proposed 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) could redefine the future of LEADER and Community‑Led Local Development (CLLD). It warns that the shift to a Single Fund and to National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs) represents […]
Proposals for improving the draft regulations accompanying the next MMF
As discussed in the recent LDnet webinar on the way that the MFF proposals are likely to evolve in 2026, there several proposals that are currently being discussed focussed on specific amendments to the draft Regulations. . Some of the proposals are substantial. For instance, the recently published draft CoR Opinion on the NRPP Fund […]
Study on Cohesion Policy territorial instruments
The European Policies Research Centre (EPRC) is highlighting the outputs from its recent study on Cohesion Policy territorial instruments implemented in 2014-20, including the final report of the study, instrument fiches and country fiches. The five types of territorial instruments covered by the study are: SUD ITI – Sustainable Urban Development Integrated Territorial Investment Non-SUD […]
Roadmaps for Administrative Capacity Building – Design and Implementation
The ‘Study on Roadmaps for Administrative Capacity Building – Design and Implementation’ was carried out by t33 and Spatial Foresight for the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission. The study provides an in-depth analysis of the development and implementation of roadmaps designed to strengthen administrative capacity in fifteen EU Member States. […]
IMPACT project: Strengthening community-led local development in border regions
The IMPACT (Interreg Mechanism for Promoting Active Communities and Territories) project is funded and supported by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) and carried out by the OECD. IMPACT brings together up to 30 pilot cross-border regions from Europe and neighbouring countries to boost their territorial performance and resident well-being […]
Follow-up debate on the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework – 22 January 2026: The summary, presentations and recording of the event
This webinar took place successfully on 22.1.2026 with some 60 active participants. We provide below a summary of the presentations and discussion, as well as the full recording of the event and the introductory presentation. Follow-up debate on the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework – 22 January 2026 LDnet Webinar – The debate on how […]
Expert Voices – From community, for community
In the latest interview in the EXPERT VOICES series, Armelle Ledan, Social Innovation Expert and ELIF Thematic Coordinator, reflects on how EU policy and funding frameworks support, and often limit, Community-Led Social Innovation (CLSI) in practice. She highlights why community-led initiatives still struggle to access EU funding, explains why LEADER and CLLD remain among the most […]
OECD workshops on Rural Communication and Rural Proofing
In the context of the discussions on the “OECD Principles of Rural Policy”, the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE) is launching two new workshop series focused on two issues that are central to effective rural policy: rural communication and rural proofing. The discussions will feature perspectives from policymakers, journalists, community voices, and […]
John Morley (1941 – 2026)
We are very saddened at the news of the death of John Morley. As head of the policy unit in the European Commission’s DG Employment, he was the main instigator and driving force for the EU’s interest and support for local initiatives for employment and economic development. In his memory, Haris Martinos, who worked closely […]
LDnet Webinar (4.12.2025): “A new architecture of EU policies and funds post-2027 – what place for local development? (part 3)” – In what direction can the next MFF evolve in 2026? – Presentations and recording
This webinar was held successfully on 4 December 2025 with 50 participants. A follow-up event is planned for 22 January 2026 (see HERE). For the full recording of the webinar click HERE For the presentations of the speakers click below. The Commission’s proposal for the MFF: Perspectives regarding the final framework and implications for Local Development? […]
Study presentation (17 March 2026): Navigating the European Commission’s MFF Proposal for 2028-2034
Study presentation on 17 March 2026, 15:30 -16:30 CET European Parliament, Antall Building, Room 4Q1 & via webstreaming Navigating the European Commission’s MFF Proposal for 2028-2034 Mapping Risks and Opportunities for Cohesion Policy and Regional Development This study, authored by Eulalia RUBIO (Jacques Delors Institute) and Cinzia ALCIDI (CEPS), assesses how the proposed National and […]
Events & activities
Webinar on “Environmental Risks & Citizen Science” coming in November 2026
The European Local Development Network Association (LDnet) in collaboration with the CS4Change project, is happy to be co-hosting a webinar titled 'Local communities and using citizen science in risk management' in early November this year. The webinar will share recent and ongoing studies that combine … Continue Reading
International Conference – A territorial approach to the SDG
This conference will take place on 19 June 2026 in Porto (PT). It aims to promote reflection and debate on the best solutions and the main success factors for the territorialisation of the SDGs, contributing to the formulation of recommendations that accelerate their implementation at the local level. The … Continue Reading
ELIF Webinar: Right to Stay – Understanding the drivers of territorial cohesion
This webinar took place on 4 June 2026 with some 160 participants - see HERE Background information This ELIF Webinar, follows on from the high-level launch on 6 May 2026 by the European Commission of a public consultation on the "Right to Stay". The Commission intends to put forward a strategy on … Continue Reading
RUR_DYNAMIX 2026: International Conference on Rural Dynamics, Resilience and Innovation
This conference will take place on 27–28 November 2026 in Mosteiro de Ancede, Baião, Portugal. It is organised through a collaboration between academic institutions, research centres and local authorities committed to the sustainable development of rural territories. RUR_DYNAMIX 2026 brings together … Continue Reading
What do cities need?
The European Urban Initiative (EUI) has launched a forward-looking survey to gather insights from urban practitioners and policymakers across Europe. This survey, hosted on Portico, aims to identify key trends, challenges, knowledge gaps and support needs in European sustainable urban development. The … Continue Reading
Articles
IN-COMMONS – Commons-based approaches for the regenerative reuse of “invisibilised” spaces
During a recent LDnet WG “New Ideas” meeting, we had the opportunity to present and discuss the concept note of IN-COMMONS, a proposal currently under development for the Horizon Europe – New European Bauhaus call: “HORIZON-NEB-2026-01-BUSINESS-03 – Approaches to reuse vacant, obsolete or underutilised … Continue reading
Rural development: a call for a broader territorial cohesion agenda
The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) adopted an opinion on the Future of Rural Development after 2027 during a plenary session of on 6 May 2026. Led by rapporteur Radim Sršeň (CZ/EPP), mayor of Dolní Studénky, the opinion calls for rural development to be fully recognised as a core objective of … Continue reading
Chairperson’s report
Following the re-launch of LDnet earlier this year, four groups initiated by the management board of our association are now up and running. The communications group has set up a number of new systems and we now have a members WhatsApp group which you are welcome to join. We have just become active on … Continue reading
The European Commission’s proposals for the future EU budget: Stakeholders’ and experts’ responses
As expected, on 16 July 2025, the European Commission published its long awaited proposals for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the 2028-2034 period and we have published an extensive overview. A debate has already kicked off and we are summarising below the stakeholders' and experts' responses, … Continue reading
6th European Rural Parliament: Rural Solutions to Global Challenges
Neslihan Önder Özen, Alistair Adam Hernández November 5, 2025 As part of the German Delegation, Alistair Adam Hernández and Neslihan Önder Özen from LDnet participated in the 6th European Rural Parliament and served as co-moderators of two workshops on rural movements alongside Tobias Federwisch from the … Continue reading
PUBLICATIONS
Policy briefs: Urban Interest Representation in the EU & Local and Regional governments representation in the EP
Two policy briefs were published in May 2026 on the EU-level advocacy of cities, authored by Dr Balázs Brucker, Research Fellow at ELTE CERS Institute for Regional Studies, Pécs (HU). The executive summaries of the briefs are presented below with links to the full documents. Urban Interest Representation in … Continue reading
Flexibility and Simplification in Cohesion Policy under the 2028-2034 MFF Proposals
This study for the REGI Committee of European Parliament assesses the main implications of the European Commission’s 2028-2034 proposals for the future design and implementation of Cohesion Policy, from the perspective of the European Parliament. It examines the likely effects of the proposed new framework … Continue reading
The new LEADER added value
The transnational LEADER cooperation project “OUR COMMON FUTURE”, involved LAGs from Austria, Luxembourg, Portugal, Bulgaria together with associated LAGs from Sweden, Finland, Italy, France, Spain, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia and Romania. Lead partner was the LEADER-forum Austria. The project set … Continue reading
Cohesion Policy on the Rocks?
This EPRC paper by Mendez, C., Bachtler, J., and Wishlade, F. deals in a systematic way with: The state of play of Cohesion Policy The shaping of MFF of the MFF proposals The national perspectives on reform The EU budget proposals for 2028-2034 The Cohesion Policy regulatory proposals for … Continue reading
Ex post evaluation of the ERDF and CF for the period 2014-2020
The European Commission published on 10 October 2025 a Staff Working Document presenting the findings of the ex post evaluation of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Cohesion Fund (CF) for the 2014-2020 programming period. The evaluation is built around the five evaluation criteria stemming … Continue reading