Inspiring LEADER Cooperation projects showcased at 2024 LEADER Congress
The Rural Pact Support Office session at the LEADER Congress of 2-3 October 2024 highlighted the value of LEADER Cooperation to contributing to the EU’s rural vision by empowering local communities to work on less conventional, but equally important rural issues.
The session overviewed LEADER Cooperation in the context of EU’s rural vision and showcased two exemplary projects from Austria and Spain. The Austrian project collaborated with partners through LEADER to improve multi-level governance, foster entrepreneurship, and create diverse, inclusive communities. It called for transforming Local Action Groups (LAGs) into participatory, democratic panels and social innovation hubs.
The Spanish project, based in Catalonia, used regional cooperation to tackle topics such as entrepreneurship, climate change and rural services. These efforts laid the groundwork for launching and structuring the Catalan Rural Agenda.
The LEADER Congress (Poitiers, France – 2-3 October 2024) brought together over 440 stakeholders from across the EU and beyond to reflect on LEADER Cooperation. This included discussions on the do’s and don’ts, and life cycles of LEADER Cooperation projects, collaborating with EU and non-EU partners, and ways of maximising partnership benefits.
The Congress further featured a Cooperation Fair to identify project ideas and partners, as well as an Awards Ceremony rewarding the best examples of innovative, cross-border projects which contribute to achieving the shared goals of the EU’s rural vision. The winning projects are as follows:
- 5StarNature: promoting nature tourism and fostering international networks among rural entrepreneurs in Finland, Spain, Estonia and Italy;
- Flourishing Destinations: enhancing local tourism across Belgium, Romania and Scotland;
- Boergondische Buren: promoting cross-border, agricultural heritage and local products in Belgium and France;
- People’s Choice Award – Tierra Minera: revitalising Spain’s historic mining areas into vibrant tourist destinations, driving sustainable growth.
Discover the latest Rural Pact resources on LEADER/CLLD.