OVERVIEW OF LEADER METHOD IMPLEMENTATION The Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT Chief specialist Ilona Sadovskaitė Trakai

2 Beginning LEADER I LEADER II LEADER+ Development Improvement LEADER+ type measure ( ) Lithuania LEADER stages LEADER metodas Applying after 2013 LEADER Tool/Measure

3 There are 51 LAGs in Lithuanias‘ LAG Network

4 LAG territories in Lithuania (99% of Lithuanian rural area) - Territories of Pilot integrated strategies - Local development Strategies‘ implementation territories - Major cities

5 Rural Development Programme for Lithuania for the period 2007–2012 Budget of Axis IV -Implementation of Local development Strategies Common budget 471,01m Lt. -Inter-territorial and transnational cooperation -Support for running the LAGs, acquiring of skills and animating the inhabitants of LAGs territories

Local development strategies “Implementation of local development strategies” Buisiness projects(units) Public investment projects (units) Public „soft“ projects(units) Implemented local projects (units Implementation of local projects (2320 units) Strategies‘ budget: 350,74m LT. Administrativ e Expenses Expenses of Local projects implementati on

7 Trainings and encouraging activity “Support for running the local action groups, acquiring of skills and animating the inhabitants of LAGs territories“

8 Cooperation projects “Inter-territorial and transnational cooperation” Inter-territorial cooperation projectsProjects of transnational cooperation 49 Lithuanian LAGs are cooperating 110 LAGs are cooperating from: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Belgium, Sweeden, France, Italy, Austria, Germany

9 Social enterprise + LEADER method? LEADER method is encouraging partnership and good neighbours‘ relations; LEADER projects start in communities; Project ideas are based on... The possible ways to deal with social problems.

10 LEADER after 2013 Community-led local development The Ministry of Agriculture RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT Chief specialist Jolanta Vaičiūnienė

11 EU 2014 – 2020 M. RURAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY GOALS( Article 4.)  Increasing agricultural competitiveness;  Sustainable management of natural resources and climate policy targets;  Balanced territorial rural development.

12 LEADER PROGRAM (III Axis, I Chapter, 2 Paragraph) LEADER strategies goals – aim for one or several BSD goals implementation, i.e. it is not necessary to designate strategies for implementation of specific measures. Challenges: Possibility to create and implement strategies that are funded from several EU funds. (ERDF, ESF, EFF, etc.) Possibility to attract cities‘ communities to LAG activities. Supported activities: creating strategies (etc. Courses, studies, and other type of training necessary to set up the strategie); implementation os strategies; administrating strategies and publicity measures– up to 25% of support for strategy implementation lėšų (advance up to 50 %); cooperation (Inter-territorial and transnational cooperation, contexts of innovation).

13 EU 2014 – 2020 M. RURAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY IMPLEMENTATION. FINANCIAL PROVISIONS EAFRD contribution shall not exceed 80 % eligible public expenditure in less developed regions; Not less than 5 percent. Total rural development program provided EAFRD contribution of the LEADER program; EAFRD financing costs can not be co-financed by the Structural Funds, the Cohesion Fund or any other Union financial contribution; Acceptable costs represent only those costs that are incurred after the submission of the application to the competent authority, except for total costs.

14 EU. Different funds, one partnership? EAFRD P, EFF, ESF, ERPF National authoriti es Local authori ties Rural ihabitants Multi-fund strategies...CHALLENGES, RESOURCES OPPORTUNITIES SWOT... OPPORTUNITIES: integrate targets and priorities to local development strategy (1 territory, 1 strategy, several funds). SIMPLIFICATION: how to avoid additional rules, pressure and bureaucracy? “Bottom up”: how to sustain “bottom up”, “community iniciated local development”? FLEXSIBILITY: ability to adapt to unstable social and economic environment, unpredictable tendencies; SINERGY: ability to communicate in the territory, dissemination of good practice (etc. from LAG to FLAG); TRUST: LAG authority, “strategies system”; FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY: need to sustain freedom to act, but not without restrictions, use of potential while introducing innovations, etc.

15 LESSONS LEANED FROM PREVIOUS FUNDING PERIODS (ECA report) Limited opportunities to use the LEADER community-led local development; Poor quality strategies; Unclear responsibilities of the parties; The limited capacity of LAG to design and implement strategies; Low participation and low private sector interest in the matter.

16 CURRENT SITUATION ASSESSMENT National position on future LEADER formation, publicity. LAG and LAGFAs experiences, desires and opportunities; Dialogue between stakeholders; LAG and LAGFAs survey (e-filling) Responses are invited by 30 November.!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION! 17