1. GOVERNANCE Karsten Lægdsmand Leader+ West Zealand Denmark

2. MY SELF n Programme Manager, LEADER+ West Zealand n Have been working with regional development and international cooperation n In public administration and in private businesses

3. MY REGION n Situated 60-80 miles northwest of Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark n The region covers app. 1000 square miles and has app. 60.000 inhabitants n The structural problems are of another type than the most common n Marked of our close neighbourhood to Copenhagen n Only been working with the LEADER+ programme

4. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT n LEADER - a new concept for development in the countryside n Tested over more than 2 decades, particularly in the LEADER programme n Thanks to the politicians and the civil servants of EU, who launched it in the eighties n It formed the ground for activities as LEADER and CARREFOUR

5. A NEW CONCEPT? n Renewed. Yes n But it is building on strong traditions in the countryside n We have to take care of our own problems n No one else will

6. A LABORATORY? n For testing a new type of administration and management of regional development. n The concept has been characterised by the following: n Mobilising of local actors in new partnerships taking responsibility for their region. n Development of decentralised, integrated strategies based on local conditions. n Bottom-up approach to secure participation from all parts of local society. n The results can be used not only in the countryside. But also in other parts in the society.

7. HOW IS IT WITH GOVERNANCE? n It is difficult to generalise. n Europe is a mix. Composed of many different cultures. n With differences in the national and regional political/adminstrative culture. n With differences in the national and regional handling of the LEADER programme. n With differences in the regional competence in handling the LEADER programme. n It is obvious to assume, that the quality of governance has differed very much. n How then to generalise?

8. MY OWN REGION AS A CASE n I will use mo own region as a case. n We were very few, who had been in contact with the programme. n We had a certain knowledge to content to the concept of LEADER. n We know also, that we had the possibility to be a LEADER region. n But how to create competence between the partners in the region. n Did we suceed?

9. HOW WAS OUR START? n we succeded in establishing a suitable working group for the development plan. n We were appointed as LEADER region. n We lost much of our kompetence developing the working group to a LEADER LAG-group. n We had to start a learning process. To develop a real regional partnership n It has been like lifting ourselves in the hair. With our national network secretariat as a catalyst.

10. WHERE ARE WE NOW? n We have a much stronger base with focus on our role as a regional partnership n We have started with creating a development plan for the new rural development program. n With clear strategies based on a much better analytic platform than before. n We have taken initiative to secure and develop our kompetences in the period in-between.

11. TO SUCCEED IN A BETTER WAY n Our experiences are not unique n Many other regions can tell similar stories n About the difficulties and how they succeeded to follow up or not n We have a great concept for creating succesfull development in the countryside n We are on our way to find our place as a new development structure vis a vis the already existing regional structures.

12. LEGITIMACY OF THE PARTNERSHIPS n Why not try to secure the legitimacy of the partnerships by defining - in rough - the content and structure of partnerships in the future n A start could be done by defining certain types of accepted partnerships. n A more strategic approach could be done by establishing a pilot study of the partnerships. n To secure knowledge about succes parameters and the development of more precise definitions of the partnerships

13. PROFESSIONALISM OF THE PARTNERSHIPS n Why not try to equip the partnerships in a better way by giving the partnerships a more professional approach. n I can be done by defiining, that members of partnerships has to follow an educational programme. n I can be done through the national network secretariats and the European observatory.

14. LEADER IN THE FUTURE n It will maintain and raise the level of competences between members of the partnerships and the programme in general. n It will create a common understanding and strengthen the selfesteem between members of the partnerships and the programme in general. n It will secure the LEADER concept a central place in the development of the countryside in Europe in the future.

15. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION