“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? Webinar, Thursday 4 December 2025, 16:30-18:00 CET 2025 has seen the prospect of a dramatic transformation of EU funding and policy architecture in the 2028-2034 period. It has marked the start of a debate in the context of the next Multiannual Financial Framework which is likely to stretch up … Continue Reading
Events & activities
European Urban CLLD Network
LDnet covered the first public meeting of the newly created European urban CLLD network in Brussels on 3rd and 4th November 2025. The network has been set up on the initiative of Valentin Dimon, president of the Bucharest LAG. Its early members include his own LAG in Bucharest, Camina in Spain, a LAG in … Continue Reading
“Post-2027 Urban Policy of the EU: What regenerative action to achieve the EGD objectives?” – 12 November 2025 (online)
The supranational nature of the EU's urban policy makes it a unique framework that provides a wealth of experience and knowledge regarding how to act in the urban realm to foster social and territorial cohesion. Given the growing recognition of cities as crucial actors to make the ecological and green … Continue Reading
UNIMUNICIPIOS: Connecting research and local communities for sustainable development
On September 1, 2025, at CEiiA | Engineering and Product Development Centre, the host institution of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s Portugal network (SDSN Portugal), the network signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with three Portuguese municipalities — Matosinhos, Braga, and … Continue Reading
‘From vision to action: Empowering rural areas for the future’ – Highlights from the Rural Pact Conference
The Rural Pact Conference “From vision to action: Empowering rural areas for the future”, organised at the Château du Biez near Kortrijk (Belgium) on 16 and 17 September 2025, brought together 250 rural stakeholders from all over the EU and beyond, to exchange, network and discuss how to move forward with … Continue Reading
Policy Action Lab – Rural areas and communities in the post-2027 EU budget and policies
This Policy Action Lab, Rural areas and communities in the post-2027 EU budget and policies, is organised by the Rural Pact Support Office and will take place on 5 November 2025 in Brussels (Pullman Brussels Centre Midi). It will offer an opportunity to discuss with the Rural Pact Community the recent … Continue Reading
The relaunch of LDnet
We have now completed a very successful series of five LDnet webinars with more than 300 participants. We have also recently completed the setting up in Estonia of a new non-profit association, called 'European Local Development Network Association MTÜ', that will take over the operational support and … Continue Reading
LDnet Webinar (28.5.2025) – “A new architecture of EU policies and funds post-2027 – what place for local development? (part 2)” – Presentations and Recording
This webinar took place successfully with 50 active participants on 28 May 2025. The full recording of the webinar is available HERE. The presentations of the speakers are available below. A summary of the event will be published shortly. For the background to this webinar and its agenda read … Continue Reading
LDnet Webinar (23.4.2025) – “EU Climate neutral cities by 2050, a serious challenge for European cities – Summary, presentations, recording
This event took place online on 23 April 2025 as part of the 2025 series of LDnet webinars. It was led by Maria João Filgueiras Rauch and was attended by some 40 participants. The summary of the proceedings is available below together with links to the presentations and the recording of the event. EU Climate … Continue Reading
Articles
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
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
An overview of the Commission’s EU budget proposal and the challenges ahead
The Commission lays out the plans before the budget battle Serafín Pazos-Vidal analyses the new EU budget proposal for 2028-2034 presented by the Von der Leyen Commission. Although it is billed as a "radical restructuring," the author warns that it is actually "doing much more with the same," which … Continue reading
Βottom-up initiatives can make local communities more resilient to climate change, social exclusion, disinformation, or conflict challenges
The series ‘Expert Voices’ offers interviews showcasing the experience and insights of AEIDL experts and ELIF members. In the 8th edition, Urszula Budzich-Tabor, Senior Policy Analyst at AEIDL on the Rural Pact Support Office and LDnet Deputy Chair, highlights: How the LEADER approach empowers … Continue reading
STRAT-Board: A major data source on how CLLD and other territorial instruments are used in 2021-27
STRAT-Board, an Interactive Tool for Integrated Urban & Territorial Strategies In October 2025, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) launched the 2021-27 version of its STRAT-Board database and map showing all Cohesion Policy-funded territorial strategies in the EU. It is an interactive … Continue reading
PUBLICATIONS
A new urban policy agenda for the EU
This briefing paper by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), authored by Vasilis Margaras and published in October 2025, addresses the current challenges facing the cities in Europe and the EU response through the Urban Agenda for the EU (UAEU) so far and potentially in the post-2027 … Continue reading
CoR: Democracy and European unity at risk under current post-2027 MFF proposal
A debate on the next EU long-term budget after 2027, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), highlighted major concerns among regions and cities regarding the proposal put forward by the European Commission on 16 July. The exchange, held during the meeting of the Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy … Continue reading
Strengthening local capacity to empower communities to innovate, making solutions more inclusive, resilient and sustainable
“Policies that respect and strengthen local capacity don’t just deliver services — they empower communities to innovate, making solutions more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable." The series 'Expert Voices' is expanding, sharing the latest interviews showcasing the experience and insights of AEIDL … Continue reading
CLLD in fisheries and coastal communities: Achievements and Lessons
As a follow up to the preliminary report on “What does CLLD bring to coastal and fisheries communities around Europe?” published in December 2024, FAMENET has published a full report “CLLD in fisheries and coastal communities. Achievements and Lessons” which includes quantitative results achieved in the … Continue reading
Intergenerational Fairness: A Local and Regional Approach to Building Inclusive and Sustainable Societies
The European Committee of the regions (CoR) has called for young people and future generations to be better protected from the consequences of political choices that prioritise short-term interests over long-term sustainability, and for more attention to be paid to ensuring that actions today do not become a … Continue reading
Slovenia monitors and evaluates the LEADER/CLLD delivery
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, … Continue reading
Resilient coastal communities: a guide for FLAGs
We are highlighting again a practical guide that has attracted considerable interest among participants in the LDnet network. The guide is on "resilient coastal communities" which was published at the final stage of FARNET and which provides systematic guidance across a wide range of topics: social, economic, … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading