Leader+ Observatory Seminar ‘The Legacy of Leader+ at local level: Building the future of rural areas’ April 2007 Cap Corse, Nebbiù è Custera, Corse, FRANCE Mini-plenary J2 – Case Study: Cooperation in France : which achievements and which lessons for the future Séverine BRESSAUD, French NNU European Commission

Leader+ cooperation in France  Leader+ cooperation in France  15 million budget for cooperation (transnational and interregional)  Cooperation projects selected at the national level  3000 to 6000 euros to facilitate the first steps  A very slow start in France…  In October 2005: 64 different LAGs involved in cooperation (46% of the French LAGs) 24 transnational cooperation projects 19 interregional cooperation projects  …but a growth from 2006  In March 2007: 116 different LAGs involved in cooperation (83% of the French LAGs) 67 transnational cooperation projects 77 interregional cooperation projects

Why have French LAGs cooperated in Leader programme ?  Local context : earlier contacts, local strategy…  Creation of a technical assistance for cooperation network in 2006  Organized support to LAGs at each step of their cooperation project  Grant of 6000 Eur to finance the first meeting with the trans-national partner  Development of actions to make local actors aware of the interest of cooperation : communication about the 7 good reasons for cooperating…  Active participation in the national meetings about cooperation

Which “common action” in France?  Meetings, training, exchanges : 91% of cooperation projects  Commun communication tools : 65%  Common strategic document : guidelines, methodological supports : 54%  Common experimentation : 36%  Creation of a common event or product (26%)  Common acquisition of technologies (14%)

What are the main effects of cooperation projects in France?  Financial effects : economies of scale (human or technical resources), reduction of costs, …  Motivating local actors  New solutions to local problems and challenges  Reinforcement of the identity of the area  Development of local products : new markets…  Increase of Europe’s openness

Lessons for the cooperation in the future  To foresee human ressources for cooperation : involving the experimented human ressources to prepare the cooperation in the future  To dissiminate good practices of all the cooperation projects to prepare the future, to define the themes…  To organise a cooperation network to support to the Lags  To give the Lags a grant to give them the opportunity to meet their partner a first time  To share all the cooperation tools, the support documents, the transnational contacts between different cooperation networks and programmes (Interreg…)