LEADER

The participation of local people is at the heart of LEADER. At the beginning of each new funding period, a local development strategy for the region is therefore drawn up together with the local population. This is done in close cooperation with the so-called Local Action Groups (LAG), which consist of associations, interest groups and municipal institutions from the economic, cultural and social sectors. 

The jointly agreed strategy defines the relevant topics and fields of action and the associated clear objectives for the region, on the basis of which project funding is also provided. LEADER supports projects within these LEADER regions as well as cooperation between the individual regions. 

The focal points can therefore vary depending on the region. Overall, LEADER supports projects that maintain and improve the quality of life in rural areas and strengthen community life and togetherness in the countryside. Making new things possible and involving local people should be the focus of these projects.

Against this backdrop, LEADER can also support projects with a cultural reference, provided they promote transformation processes in rural areas. Often, projects related to cultural heritage are supported, be it for the protection or restoration of cultural heritage or the development of new, digital and low-barrier access options and touristic offers. At the same time, cultural projects can be supported to ensure that the region’s cultural offer is expanded and more diverse. This way more people can partake in cultural and creative activities.

The diversity of LEADER funding in the cultural sector can be seen based on the following projects from the past funding period:

• A youth film academy and a film festival in which the youth from different nations produced transnational short films with experts from the film industry
• A cross-border lyric poetry festival to bring together regional artists and the audience on both sides of the Austrian-Italian border in the Alps
• A project that makes visual artists and craftspeople in the region more visible by exhibiting artworks in public places and spaces
• The development and mediation of diverse tours through Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania that lead off the touristic paths to hidden cultural, historical and scenic destinations
• The transformation of cultural walks into audio trails in the Coburg district, which are created and made available online by the regional population as well as by professional narrators, authors and other experts
• An artistic discussion concerning the rural exodus, ageing population and torpidity of cultural identity with actors, theatre makers and the regional population
• An inclusive dance project with senior citizens, migrants, pupils and people with disabilities to learn a new way of interacting with one other and setting an example against racism

Which institutions and forms of organisations can be supported by LEADER depends on the respective country’s guidelines for the development of the rural area. This means that there are different regulations per federal state, which are available from the respective state authority (or the respective local action group). Nevertheless, it can be said that in most cases the following institutions are eligible to apply:

•          Municipalities and municipal institutions
•           Associations
•           Small and medium-sized companies