Celebrating LEADER/CLLD and looking to contribute to the Croatian NRPP
The LEADER community acting for rural areas in Croatia came together on 23-25 March in Terme Tuhelj to discuss how Local Action Groups (LAGs) and Fisheries LAGs could participate in the planning for the country’s National and Regional Partnership Plan (NRPP). Speakers from around the EU explained the benefits of stakeholder involvement in developing rural areas.
@LEADER Network Croatia, 2026
Milan Medić, President of the LEADER Thematic Working Group under the CAP Network Croatia, opened the event. He expressed a hope that it would ‘open a dialogue and facilitate a positive outcome of the negotiations for the development of rural areas and highlight the importance of the LEADER/CLLD [Community-Led Local Development] methodology for the development of rural and coastal communities’.
Three political leaders involved in negotiations on the EU’s future funding framework and the NRPPs addressed conference participants via video messages:
- MEP Karlo Ressler said ‘the next budget period must confirm that cohesion, agriculture, rural development and strong local communities remain among its key priorities’;
- MEP Marko Vešligaj strongly endorsed the LEADER approach, stating that ‘if Europe wants a resilient and fair future, it must build it where trust is hardest to create – in small communities. And LEADER/CLLD is exactly that: trust turned into development’;
- Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, affirmed that rural areas continue to be a priority. He announced the beginning of a broad consultation exercise on the ‘right to stay’ as of May 2026.
Paweł Krzeczunowicz from the Rural Pact Support Office presented both the EU’s long-term vision for rural areas and the Rural Pact, urging attendees to join the Pact’s community and participate in its Community Groups.
EU support for rural areas post 2027
Several speakers focused on the EU’s support for the development of rural areas in the post-2027 period. Iwona Lisztwan from the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development spoke about the Commission’s proposed budget and policy proposals for 2028-2034 and its effects on LEADER/CLLD.
Addressing the policy proposals, panellists highlighted the opportunities and challenges facing rural communities and the LEADER approach under the proposed NRPPs, while also showcasing some Czech and Polish examples of integrated financing approaches. Both Radim Sršeň, speaking as a member of the Committee of the Regions, and Piotr Sadłocha of the European LEADER Association for Rural Development (ELARD) emphasised the need for adequate resources to support rural communities. Their interventions highlighted the different allocations among LAGs when calculated on a per capita basis. Lidija Pavić Rogošić from the European Economic and Social Committee and Edina Ocsko of the Rural Pact Coordination Group both reported on rural stakeholders’ expectations about the changes proposed to the programming for future EU funding.
Betty-Ann Bryce from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) spoke about what can be achieved through a conscious application of the rural proofing approach. This approach not only leads to the involvement of knowledgeable stakeholders, but it also mitigates the risk of unintended consequences, as well as highlighting the added value of rural areas to policymakers. In the panel discussion that followed, emphasis was placed on the value of including stakeholders in the NRPPs’ planning and of providing adequate resources for the development of rural areas.
Eduard Trepat Deltell presented the Catalan Rural Agenda, a concrete example of bottom-up action that has resulted in the creation of regional government mechanisms for civic engagement. The agenda has led to the establishment of mechanisms that allow rural inhabitants to formulate and present their needs and expectations to policymakers. Also, the regional government has gained a structured way to assess its integrated rural development approaches.
Turning the spotlight on Croatia
This was followed by an overview of rural development approaches in Croatia. Dr Jakša Pulijz, Head of the Institute for Development and International Relations, discussed the use of territorial tools in Croatia since 2014. He highlighted the Programme of Integrated Physical, Economic and Social Regeneration of Small Towns in War-affected Areas, directed at five small municipalities. Through this, up to 10 times the average amount of funding per capita was provided than in other localities.
Dr Pulijz also pointed to the need for much greater involvement of local actors in the planning and implementation of development funding in Croatia, as well as the lack of ‘soft’ projects complementing investment projects.
Aleksandar Lukić from the University of Zagreb looked at the different typologies of administrative and statistical indicators in Croatia and how they can be applied to better implement rural-specific development planning. The very diversity of rural areas makes the elaboration of place-based solutions so necessary, he noted.
In a discussion involving Croatian government, academic and LEADER actors, the country’s national authorities expressed confidence in being able to ensure the programming of the post-2027 EU funding, adding that stakeholders will be informed about the results of the negotiations.
The conference was organised by the LEADER Thematic Working Group under the CAP Network Croatia and the LEADER Network Croatia. The participation of speakers representing the regional government of Catalonia and the OECD was made possible with support from the Rural Pact.
Author: Rural Pact Support Office