Community-led Local Development

The European Commission adopted legislative proposals for cohesion policy for 2014-2020 in October 2011. This factsheet is one in a series highlighting key elements of the future approach.

Over the past 20 years, the LEADER approach to community-led local development (CLLD) – based on the experience of an initiative financed by EU Structural Funds, designed to help rural actors consider the long-term potential of their local region, has proven an effective and efficient tool in the delivery of development policies.

The European Commission has promoted this delivery method through other Community Initiatives also, such as URBAN and EQUAL. In the case of LEADER, for which continuous EU support has been provided since 1991, it has become an important element of rural development policy with a high level of acceptance all over Europe. Since 2007, local development has also been a policy delivery tool in the European fisheries sector.

The draft regulation (Articles 28-31) for future CLLD are based on the LEADER approach and concern all the Funds covered by the Common Strategic Framework (European Regional Development Fund, European Social Fund, European Agricultural Fund for Regional Development, European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and Cohesion Fund) in the 2014-2020 programming period (the CSF Funds).

CLLD is a specific tool for use at sub-regional level, which is complementary to other development support at local level. CLLD can mobilise and involve local communities and organisations to contribute to achieving the Europe 2020 Strategy goals of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, fostering territorial cohesion and reaching specific policy objectives.

ESO: Background Information: Europe 2020 http://www.europeansources.info/record/europe-2020-strategy/

ESO: Background Information: Cohesion Policy 2014 - 2020. Investing in growth and jobs http://www.europeansources.info/record/cohesion-policy-2014-2020-investing-in-growth-and-jobs/

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