In 2024, the second edition of the European LEADER Congress took place under the presidency of the French association Leader France.
This event followed the success of the first edition held the previous year, which focused on the future of LEADER beyond 2027, in the hemicycle of the European Parliament in Brussels.
This year’s edition, held on 2–3 October 2024 at the Futuroscope in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, was dedicated to transnational cooperation.
A retrospective on the highlights and the cooperation opportunities arising from this event.
The event aimed to facilitate the creation of cooperation projects by LEADER stakeholders, gathering ideas and expert feedback. This edition was a success, as more than 130 partnership offers were made afterwards!
Roberto Beruti, representing the office of Agri Commissioner Wojciechowski, Hanane Allali, LEADER Project Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture, and Isabelle Boudineau, Regional Councillor of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in charge of Europe, responded to the invitation, highlighting the importance of cooperation within the LEADER programme and introducing the Congress.
The Best Cooperation Project Awards rewarded four projects from the 2014–2022 programming period.
2024 ELARD Cooperation Award
Under the theme of cooperation, ELARD organized a ceremony to present the ‘2024 ELARD Cooperation Award’
Three jury awards and one public award were bestowed.
Cooperation Fair
On the second day, a dynamic cooperation hub was set up. It brought together a help desk, coaching sessions, a cooperation wall, thematic tables, and networking spaces such as speed-dating, matchmaking, and project partnerships.
An Opportunity to Cooperate
More than 400 international participants had the chance to network and build strategic partnerships.
To encourage these exchanges, 30 discussion tables took place throughout the day.
The ‘Cooperation Helpdesk’ was facilitated by experts from managing authorities, experienced LAG managers, and members of the EU CAP Network.
