On 18 December 2023 the European Leader Congress was held in Brussels, Belgium. At this conference, the 800 delegates from 38 countries representing about 2600 LEADER Local Action Groups in and beyond Europe, rural networks, representatives of managing authorities, the Committee of the Regions, the European Commission, the European Parliament and of the European Economic and Social Committee met and discussed the Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas and rural development policies as regards to the role of LEADER/CLLD (Community-Led Local Development). The following conclusions were developed for the future of LEADER/CLLD.
All discussions led to the unanimous adoption of a resolution presented by ELARD in the hemicycle.
This resolution is based on the following principles:
- Strengthening the role of LEADER-CLLD in European policies
- Developing new financial resources for LEADER-CLLD
- A simplified framework for LEADER-CLLD
- Starting to think of the future of LEADER-CLLD