Paul Soto, ENRD Contact Point

Joint Hearing European Parliament22 November, Brussels

Committee of Budgetary ControlCommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development

CLLDLessons from the past:

How to improve LEADER in the future

Contents

1. Lessons from the past

• Strengthen initial success factors – LEADER I + II

• Use LEADER where it adds value – LEADER Observatory

• Open up to other areas and evolving needs – FARNET

• Follow through on the regulations and guidance

2. How to improve LEADER in the future - ENRD

• Enable LEADER/CLLD to continue supporting long term “structuralchange, transition, Innovation..”

• Show LEADER/CLLD works – capture the wider added value

• Design rules to fit the objectives and method.

ERDF+ESF

EMFF

EAFRD

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

1991-1993 (LEADER I) 1994-1999 (LEADER II) 2000-2006 (LEADER+) 2007-2013 (AXIS 4) 2014-2020 (M19)

229

310 368

271

9061153

2402

2757

ERDF+ESF EMFF EAFRD

From pilot to mainstreamJG2

Slide 3

JG2 2757 EAFRD on databaseJohn Grieve; 12/11/2018

Over 25 years• Tourist accomodation: from 150 to 2000• Local products: from around 10 to over 100• Cherry Exports : from 10% to 60%• New enterprises: more than 150• Jobs: +1000 jobs created or maintained• Training: nearly 20,000 people• Services child care, social + cultural centres,

telecentres, wifi to the village…and muchmore

« Cultivating the Cherry Valleywith collective intelligence »

Valle del Jerte, SpainLEADER accompanied a

transition

• Major investments in animation and capacity building

• Tailor made packages of hard and soft measures

• Flexibility – calls and criteria designed at local level to fit local needs

• Speed – quick direct payments – advances

• Integration – between sectors and funds - EAFRD, ESF and ERDF

Strengthen initial success factors

LAG/FLAGAnimation

Training

Technical/ feasibility studies

Needs audits

Pilots

Research contracts

Small scale investments

Marketing

Cooperation

IDEA

SUSTAINABILITY – SCALE-UP

CommunityContribution

Taylor made packages of hard and soft actions

The only EU wide programme where local people are inthe driving seat!

A laboratory for the transition of rural areas, for local democracy,for connecting local people to Europe.

Use LEADER where it adds value- LEADER Observatory

• Integrates sectoral policies + stakeholders into territorialdevelopment – lessons for Rural Development.

• Shows CLLD can focus on specific challenges or entry points –lessons for cities + social inclusión.

• Improves the vertical partnership – trust and coordination along thewhole delivery chain

Open up to new areas and evolving needs –Coastal and Fisheries areas - FARNET

• In 2007 LEADER doubles in size, extended to all rural areas and is“mainstreamed”

• European Court of Auditors Report (2010):- LEADER is notimplemented in a way that brings out the added value of its specificfeatures

• CPR + guidance reasserts LEADER features• Aims to simplify implementation and facilitate multifunding.• Reinforces the role of the partnership (autonomy, tasks, role of civil

society + private sector)

BUT………….

Follow through on regulationsand guidance

Europe

National

Regional?

Local people

But: “Subsidiarity – stops with me”

Advice often ignored• focus on error rates,• ”gold-plating” +• continued division between

funds and departments.

“84% of LAGs see their abilityto implement LEADERconstrained by bureaucracyand admin”

“69% of LAG’s seeadministration and reportingrequirements limit theircapacity to animate”

ENRD LAG Survey 2018

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Cooperation projects

Innovative approaches

Multi-sectoral

Networking

Area based LDSs

Local public-private…

Bottom-up approach

Principle is essential Fully able to implement

LEADER Principles and ImplementationBo

ttom

Up

HighestRankedPrinciple

Achievabliity of LEADER principles Best MS Worst MSBureaucracy constrains ability to implement LEADER 43% 100%Finding innovative solutions to local problems 100% 11%

1. Enable LEADER to continue supporting “structural change,

innovation, transition”.

2. Show it works

3. Design rules to fit the objectives and method

How to improve LEADER in the future?

Creating bioenergy villages.Germany. LEADER Götingerland

Building a local food “ecosystem.Pays de Condruse, Belgium

Enable LEADER to continue supporting“structural change, innovation,transition” ENRD Seminar Rust, Austria October 2018

Building a green, circular economyPembrokshire, PLANED, WALES

Digital as a lever for economic and socialdevelopment. Pays de Verdun France

CLLD supports the rolling out of a mobility app developedby a social enterprise to other rural areas in France

CLLD supports the creation of state of the artcommunity owned broadband

CLLD supports Smart VillagesENRD Smart Villages Portal

CLLD supports a social enterprise providing a trainingitinerary to support rural SMEs in their digitaltransformation

CLLD cooperation measure is used to build a regionalnetwork of co-working spaces accross an entire region

15

USE LEADER WHERE IT ADDS VALUE:The Ministry Perspective - Luxembourg

LEADER offers the opportunity to…• test out new concepts that can afterwards be included as cofinanced

measures in the new RDP• cofinance projects of „software“ nature• find funds for „hardware“ investments• support niche products• think regionally and locally• sensitise future stakeholders• involve young people/young farmers• contribute to positive image of agriculture (and rural areas)• create jobs

small budget, but great outcome

Show LEADER Works9 Austrian Projects

LEADER Seminar Rust, Austria

Conventional indicators Additional indicators

Number of projects 9

Eligible costs €2 908 336

LEADER funding €1 350 752

LAG Population 205 000

LAG Area 2 370 km2

Jobs created 9

Voluntary contribution 51 300 hrs

Partners involved 344

New groups formed 250

Links to other projects 48

Long term benefits 80% projects

LAG support 4,5/5 ranking

Press articles 403

Capture the wider added value!

1. Distinguish LEADER rules from mainstream – design an enabling deliverysystem for LEADER method

2. Rules to ensure: capacity for animation, preparing the ground ,smallprojects, collective projects, pilots, experiments……

3. Include LAGs in designing future LEADER rules at national level– avoidgold plating, simplify

4. Working group on results orientated approach for LEADER, developspecific indicators, monitoring and evaluation procedures

5. Coaching, exchange at all levels, examples, strengthen role of NRNs

Recommendations from ENRD SeminarRust, Austria 15-17 October 2018

Design rules to fit the method

Thank you for your attention!

ENRD Contact PointRue de la Loi / Wetstraat, 38 (bte 4)1040 Bruxelles/BrusselBELGIQUE/BELGIËTel. +32 2 801 38 00info@enrd.eu

www.enrd.ec.europa.eu