Networking initiatives and local areas

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Networking initiatives and local areas
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STRUCTURE

• Non-profit making association
• 25 individual members (member States and
  candidate countries) active in the field of local
  development
• ? Development agency managers
• ? Spatial planning practitioners
• ? Academics
• 20 members of permanent team

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OBJECTIVES

• Help to build a Citizen's Europe
• Support local development initiatives
• Take account of social, economic, cultural and
  environmental aspects
• Development process based on partnership
• Connecting local with global

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METHODS OF WORK

• Coordination of transnational networks
• Provision of information
• Development of methodological tools
• Organisation of seminars and conferences
• Production of multilingual information tools
• Identification and dissemination of know-how and
  good practices

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CLIENTS
? European Commission (DG AGRI, DG EMPLOY, DG
EAC, DG REGIO, )
? European networks
? National and regional administrations
? Training organisations
? Local action groups
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Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de
lEconomie Rurale

• LEADER I 1991-1994. 217 areas.
• LEADER II 1995-2001. 1,007 areas (50 of the
  Unions surface, more than 50 of the European
  rural populationlives in a LEADER area).
• Allows 1,007 territories of the 15 Member States
  to set up and realise a development strategy
  which is adapted to their context
• Rural context (territory)
• Institutional context
• Capacities of local actors (public, private,
  associations)

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LEADER II basic figures

• Budget 4,500 million EUR
• European Finance 1,755 million EUR (40)
• Other public funds 1,215 million EUR (25)
• Private funds 1,530 million EUR (35)
• Average expenditure per area 4.5 million EUR

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Rural Tourism
The Pays Cathare (Languedoc-Roussillon, France)
Integrated approach for utilizing a unique
heritage the Cathare castles
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Rural Tourism

• Creation of an identity, working with the
  population
• Integration of actions the label Pays Cathare,
  a guarantee of quality (rural accommodations,
  farm products, tourist products, etc..
• A major success (growth of number of visitors,
  diversification of the local economy, sustained
  traditions, etc..)

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Adding valueto local products
Sierra de Segura (Andalousia, Spain) protected
area (Parc naturel), very mountainous, difficult
to access, low population density, high
unemployment
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Adding valueto local products
Taping a new market Biological olive
oil. Production from ecologically grown trees.
Management of the waste from production. Organiza
tion of a World class conference every 2 years.

• The cooperative "Olivar de Segura",
• groups 16 oil mills and 5,000
• partners. Sales in Japan
• (80 of production) and in Germany.

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Services and NTI in rural areas

• Western Isles, Skye and Lochalsh (Outer Hebrides,
  Scotland, UK)
• Most isolated area, very well educated population
• Focus on creating jobs for rural women via
  development of distance working
• Contracts with Oxford Library, etc 200 jobs
  created and sustained

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ENVIRONMENT

• Vinschgau/Val Venosta (Trentino-Alto-Adige,
  Italy)
• Supporting the creation of an Eco-construction
  consortium
• Strong craft tradition, Eco-construction is a
  market niche identified by local entrepreneurs
• 7 contractors created a consortium (LEADER
  support) 2.7 MEUR turn-over, 14 new jobs

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LEADER an approach to rural development
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Issues at stake for rural areas
Engaging the community
?
Enhancing the image of the area
Reinforcing the culture and identity of the area
Combining know-how, skills and jobs
Preserving and managing natural resources
Balancing migratory flows and ensuring
socio-professional integration
Creating activities and accessing markets
Benefiting from technological developments
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Groups of development players and their interests
?
People or associations

• Societal issues
• Quality of life

• Physical heritage
• of the area

• Profitability of activities
• Adaptation to markets

• Coherence of policies

• Settlement of
• new residents

Private enterprises Financial sector
Public institutions
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Seven key aspects
Area-based approach
?
Bottom-up approach
Local financing and management
 
Partnership approach and LAG
Networking and cooperation
Innovation
Integrated approach
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The development triangle
Strategy
 
Area
?
Partnership
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The LEADER area criteria
?
Area
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The concept of an area-based approach
Global approach
Area-based approach
Concertation
Endogenous resources
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Establishing an area profile
?
Culture and identity
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The areas capital
External the exchanges
Future the project
Past the history
Areas capital
Internal the interactions
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The initial analysis

• Beyond a simple snapshot of the situation
• First stage of involving local communities and
  engaging key players
• Use of participatory methods
• Creation of alternative scenarios

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Interim analyses

• Updating the analysis in order to
• verify the relevance of the initial course of
  action
• identify any indirect effects
• identify imbalances and synergies
• possibly reorient the programme

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The area profile a tool for animation
Bairrada e Mondego area (Centre, Portugal)
External relations
Today
With LEADER
Activities and jobs
Image
10 years ago
Physical resources
Governance
Human resources
Know-how and skills
Culture and identity
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From analysis to strategy
?
Share the results of the analysis
?
Give priority to an integrated approach
?
Choose one or more unifying themes
?
Build a shared vision of the future of the area
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Drawing up a strategy the principles

• Choose a common thread (unifying theme)
• Focus on the process and on an integrated
  vision
• Choose a single entry point or adopt a
  sower strategy
• Search for multiplier effects
• Set up a monitoring and assessment mechanism

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Create a collective dynamic centred on the
area project

• make analysis and project preparation a tool
  for animation and consultation
• seek win-win strategies
• assess ability to undertake the action

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Objectives

• Involving the community trust
• Drawing out ideas and generating initiatives
• animation
• Building a consensus conflict management
• Delegating local decision-making

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Values at the heartof a local project

• Respect ideas and persons
• Recognise the existence of diverse
• needs
• Act transparently

Key word ANIMATION
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Some tips to animate the area

• Create meeting places
• Manage conflicts
• Encourage links between sectors and groups
• Decentralise responsibilities
• Enhance the professionalism of communication

which requires resources
professionalise the function of the development
agent
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Bottom-up approach and the selection of
projects
Classic approach
Bottom-up approach
Criteria designers and applicants are separated
Potential beneficiaries participate in the design
of criteria
Same conditions
Different criteria
Precise criteria
Broad criteria that stimulate reflection
Undifferentiated dissemination
Pro-active approach
Dossiers written in administrative language
Simplified dossiers
Selection of projects by a team of experts
Involvement of beneficiaries in the selection of
projects
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Local partnership

• New form of organisation in order to
• unite prime movers around a project
• allow everyone to express their views
• take a wider view of resources
• ensure a link between actions
• stay closer to local realities
• manage in a flexible manner

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The LEADER partnership
The expression of a group of development players
(public and private)
constituted in various forms
capable of organising and managing a collective
approach
and with the legitimacy to manage public funds
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The local action group (LAG)

• An organisation with different beginnings and
  legal statuses (neither public administration
  nor private sector), set up to
• represent the interests of the development
  players and communities concerned
• establish a strategy and implement the
  development programme
• wield the power of decision

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The team of practitioners

• A team qualified to
• animate the development approach
• inform, train and advise
• foster dialogue
• identify those to be associated with the projects
• support project leaders

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Tasks of the local action group
Forms of support appropriate to each stage of the
project

• information and advice
• animation and identification of project
  leaders
• training
• drawing up the business plan and sourcing
  finance
• interface with specialised bodies
• support and project monitoring
• collective actions

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The players involved
People or associations of people
Economic players and private enterprises
Public Institutions
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Partnership chart
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The LAG galaxy
"Animation" partnership
Local partners
Other institutions and development programmes
Citizens and local organisations
Territorial bodies (regions, Member States,
European Union)
External networks and research
L A G
Financing partnership
Specialised partnership
Professional interest groups
Local financial services
Sectoral administrative bodies