Experience of Rural Development policies through a bottom-up approach Pat Moynan, Dept. of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs

Role of Managing Authority  Until 2002 LEADER managed by Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development  New Ministry of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs established in 2002  Rural Development Division responsible for all policy and operational issues relating to LEADER

Strength of community organisations  Historically, Ireland has had a strong base of community and rural development organisations  Self-help approach to resolving issues for farmers and for rural dwellers  Organisations emerged to tackle issues as varied as very heavy rural unemployment and common processing of agricultural produce

Emergence of LEADER  LEADER pilot in Ireland started in 1991  Initially in 17 areas  round of funding saw growth to cover all areas which continued in the round  35 Area Based Groups and 3 national bodies delivered the round  At this stage the bottom-up philosophy of LEADER is accepted as part of the rural landscape

Structure of Groups  Groups comprise at least 50 per cent representatives from community and voluntary sector  Also include representatives of the social partners such as trade unions, business representatives and the farming organisations  Representatives from relevant state bodies and local government representatives also participate

How Groups operate  Dept. issues rules which are based on the relevant EU regulations  Rules outline terms of eligibility of projects and other requirements to ensure compliance with EU policies on areas such as Procurement, Equality and Information and Publicity  All projects are considered by Group’s Evaluation Committee which makes recommendations to the Board

How Groups operate  Board considers recommendation  Ultimate decision is with the Board who operate in an independent and impartial way  Dept. does not sit on Board or seek to influence the Board in any way  Decision is for local board to make

Achievement of Groups  Groups have become very important economic and social actors in their communities  LEADER is the cornerstone of their activities  Over time Groups have been allocated responsibility for new national Programmes such as CLÁR, the Rural Social Scheme and the Community Supports Programme

Achievement of Groups  Groups also involved in other E.U. Programmes such as EQUAL, PEACE and Interreg.  Groups seen locally as well-managed and deliverers of services in a fair way to local communities

Future for LEADER in Ireland  Rural Development Programme for Ireland approved on July 24 th 2007  Axis 3 and Axis 4 will be delivered by Local Action Groups  Budget for is €425.4m, almost treble the funding available for the previous round  Business plan evaluators to be appointed in early October

Future for LEADER in Ireland  Business plans to be sought from prospective Local Action Groups in the near future  Hoped to have report with Minister before the end of this year  Proposal to Government in early 2008  Commencement of new Programme in Spring 2008

Formal procedures  Candidate must show an ability to define and implement a development strategy for the area  Coherent area coverage  Candidates must submit a business plan for the area

Formal procedures  Art. 62 of Reg. (EC) 1698/2005  Candidate must propose an integrated local development model based on the LEADER approach.  Must have worked on a previous LEADER Programme or be a new group with partners from the various locally based socioeconomic sectors

Shape of new Programme  New Programme will prioritise the following:  Ongoing development of the rural/agri tourism sector, the small food/artisan food producer, the craft sector, the implementation of the Countryside Recreation Strategy and general supports for rural enterprise  Co-operation with Northern Ireland Local Action Groups is expected to increase significantly  Will also ensure complementarity between Programme and other EU/National Programmes

 Further information  