LEADER Platform

About the platform

LEADER Platform aimed to bring together LEADER stakeholders from all levels (1) to discuss how LEADER can support Smart Villages and how Smart Rural 27 project can support LEADER actors in their efforts and (2) to ensure experience and good practice exchange between LEADER stakeholders on Smart Villages support and implementation.

Stakeholder Online Event (29 February 2024)

• Purpose of Event

The purpose of the meeting was to provide an update on the state-of-play of the CAP Strategic Plan analysis on Smart Villages under LEADER intervention carried out by the project (still note that the report is not yet public), as well as to discuss and plan for the Smart Rural 27 Final Conference (held on 18-19 March 2024 in Brussels).

• Agenda & Presentation of Event

TimingAgenda item
09:30 - 10:00
Update on the key findings of the CAP Analysis on Smart Villages & other LEADER-related Smart Rural 27 work, by Edina Ocsko (E40, Smart Rural 27 Project Coordinator)
10:00 - 10:15Presentations on various LEADER approaches:
10:15 - 11:00Working group discussions: challenges & needs
11:00 - 11:20Feedback from working groups
11:20 - 11:30Concluding remarks & Information on Smart Rural 27 Final Conference

• Outcomes of the Event

Meeting report 

Stakeholder Online Event (28 June 2023)

• Purpose of Event

The first European Stakeholder Platform session ‘Supporting Smart Villages Through LEADER’ took place online on 28 June 2023 and gathered more than 100 interested stakeholders.

Critical questions on ‘How to programme Smart Villages within LEADER LDSs?‘, ‘How to support local communities in becoming Smart Villages?‘ and ‘What Managing Authorities and CAP Networks can do to enable a supportive policy environment for Smart Villages through LEADER?’ were discussed during this session.

The main target groups of this session were LEADER LAGs, LEADER Associations, CAP Managing Authorities and CAP Networks. The session was open also to local rural communities, LEADER enthusiasts and other stakeholders and organisations interested in Smart Village support through LEADER.

• Agenda & Presentation of Event

TimingAgenda item
10:00 - 10:40
Introductory presentations – Sharing of the Smart Rural 27 experience
10:40 - 11:40Group discussions on how to support Smart Villages through LEADER

  • What LEADER LAGs can do: Initial experience of LEADER LAGs in programming Smart Villages: How to build capacity and support smart initiatives in rural communities through LEADER?
    Workshop 1 presentation by Ieva Vītola-Deusa, FLAG Partnership for Rural and the Sea (Latvia)
    Workshop 2 presentation by Geza Gelencser, Koppanyvolgye LAG/ Hungarian LEADER
    Association (Hungary)

  • What networks can do: How LEADER Associations / Networks and CAP Networks can support the emergence of Smart Villages through LEADER?
    Workshop 3 presentation ‘Support for Smart Villages through a recognition sign’, by Zane Seredina, Latvian Rural Forum

  • What Managing Authorities can do: How Managing Authorities can support LAGs in their efforts of supporting the emergence of Smart Villages at the local level?
    Workshop 4 – exchange of good practices and experiences between Managing Authorities from different Member States.

11:40 - 12:00Next steps & action points for the LEADER European Stakeholder Platform

• Outcomes of the Event

Meeting report