LEADER Transnational Cooperation: highlights from LINC2025

LINC (LEADER Inspired Network Community) is a European conference first started 15 years ago on the initiative of Local Action Groups (LAGs) and National Network Units for rural development in Austria, Germany, Estonia and Finland. Each edition is hosted in a different country and focuses on a slightly different topic, but the main objective remains the same: facilitating networking and LEADER Transnational Cooperation (TNC).

LINC2025 - entitled ‘Alpine Relations’ - was hosted by the Austrian LAG RegioL in Sankt Anton am Arlberg, and was attended by around 350 participants, representing LEADER LAGs from across the EU and beyond. In what has almost become a tradition by now, the EU CAP Network hosted a transnational Cooperation Corner attended by over 120 active participants and generated an impressive number of ideas and potential collaborations.

Participants of the Cooperation Corner discussed potential transnational cooperation ideas (TNC project ideas) in seven parallel mini-workshops, each focusing on the key priority themes identified by participants prior to the event (relating to Smart Villages, rural tourism, rural innovation, knowledge transfer, heritage and culture, food supply chains, climate change and environment), with social inclusion as a cross-cutting topic. While this was just a preliminary brainstorming exercise, it allowed the participants to gather some initial ideas - summarised below - and to identify potential future partners. Networking and discussion are expected to continue well beyond the LINC event.

Smart Villages – TNC project ideas

Engaging people – particularly young people – was identified as a key priority on this topic. Practical ideas include creating a Smart Village Engagement Plan and developing tools such as a ’Community Tinder’, through which locals can find their match within their own community and those in other countries.

Important actions include creating a common understanding of Smart Villages and ways to implement the approach (through LEADER), as well as finding ways to reduce bureaucracy for the local municipalities, building on LAGs’ knowledge.

Find all the LAGs working on Smart Villages in this section of the EU CAP Network website.

Rural tourism – TNC project ideas

LEADER can empower rural residents as heritage storytellers and local guides (‘Voices of heritage’), thus developing rural tourism opportunities. These could also be based on the interest of some families in rediscovering their own roots and heritage (e.g. attracting these families to visit the original homeland their parents or grandparents migrated from, as in the project idea ‘Roots tourism in rural areas’ promoted by the Finnish LAG Northernmost Lapland).

Rural flavours (traditional gastronomy, local producers) offer great opportunities to develop new products and experiences for rural tourism.

Find all the LAGs working on rural tourism in this section of the EU CAP Network website.

'Wine Tourism | Landscape & People’ was the topic put forward by the Portuguese LAGs Associação para o Desenvolvimento Local de Ilhas dos Açores (Adeliaçor) and Associação de Desenvolvimento Regional (Grater) at the Cooperation Corner.

These territories, located in the Azores archipelago, are distinguished by local varieties of grapes, vineyard landscapes and winemaking cultural heritage. In these islands, grapes have been grown for winemaking since the arrival of the first settlers, using local varieties (Verdelho dos Açores, Arinto dos Açores, and Terrantez do Pico) and benefit from the terroir – volcanic soil, proximity to the sea, vineyard architecture and planting methods - which give the wine a special character: saline and mineral.

This historical activity has an economic, social and cultural influence on the island’s landscapes and people, so much so that on Pico Island the vineyard landscape is classified as World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, and there are 3 designated wine regions: Biscoitos (Terceira island), Graciosa and Pico.

In recent years, winemaking has seen a boost with many winemakers, wine cellars and wine brands available, using traditional farming techniques and architectural structures made with volcanic stones designed to ensure character, quality, economic viability and environmental sustainability. The LAGs are interested in cooperation with other LAGs working on wine tourism, including “experiences and activities that bring together wine making with local grape varieties and historical landscapes associated with architectural heritage and gastronomy.”

Rural innovation – TNC project ideas

Ideas on this topic included using LEADER to foster a network of supporters of innovation that can help boost innovation in rural areas and communities (beyond agriculture). A gamified approach (using game-design elements and game principles, such as points and badges, to stimulate engagement and motivation for 'serious’ discussions) can be particularly engaging.

Proper analysis of the data from past LEADER projects - based on data collected from the specific LEADER areas on the success and failure of start-ups supported by LEADER - could be carried out using a tailored Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool to create a prediction model about the sustainability of projects.

Participants also suggested adopting an inclusive approach to rural innovation – ‘One for all and all for one’ – for example, to create a socially inclusive renewable energy hub.

Find all the LAGs working on rural innovation in this section of the EU CAP Network website.

Knowledge transfer – TNC project ideas

A slogan coming out of this mini-workshop was ‘Inspire – involve – maintain’: LAGs and LEADER stakeholders could identify best practices in activating local people and in disseminating the results of TNC projects, demonstrating what LEADER is good at. Successful initiatives can then be replicated and their legacy can be maintained.

Knowledge transfer can be particularly useful in topics related to nature and climate change adaptation and mitigation. The use of digital technology (such as video calls) can help share information between farmers by creating knowledge transfer networks.

Find all the LAGs working on knowledge transfer in this section of the EU CAP Network website.

Heritage and culture – TNC project ideas 

LEADER can help bring new life to old buildings in rural municipalities and create ‘European Cultural Bridges’, i.e. initiatives supporting folklore traditions; it can help promote elements of tangible cultural heritage such as wood-crafted toys or other traditional handicrafts. Other ideas for rural tourism include gastronomy routes – ’Forks. Farms. Footsteps.’ – and wine tourism.

Members of minority communities can be invited to share what is unique about them and their own traditions, to the benefit of the wider community.

Find all the LAGs working on preserving heritage and culture in this section of the EU CAP Network website.

At LINC2025's Cooperation Corner, LAG Napoca Porolissum (Romania) shared a LEADER TNC project the LAG is proud of: ‘The Atlas of Rural Beauty – Stories and Portraits of the Countryside’. The project tackles their Local Development Strategy's themes - environment, rural tourism, climate change and sustainability – using creative storytelling, the promotion of rural identity, and intergenerational dialogue. “By documenting the lives and traditions of rural women, we aim to promote social inclusion, preserve cultural heritage, and inspire sustainable local action”, says LAG Manager Alina Baba. This is very important in their rural area, "where natural and cultural resources face increasing pressure from demographic decline, environmental risks, and over-exploitation.”

Food supply chains – TNC project ideas

LEADER has a role to play in supporting the next generation in farming – one with a focus on adapting to climate change and preserving or restoring soil health. Discussions at LINC suggested that a transnational cooperation project focusing on this could – for example - bring together students, farmers, and universities in a network facilitating knowledge exchange on climate and soil-friendly farming. LEADER transnational cooperation can also support an approach ’from field to feast’, promoting ‘slow food’ approaches and agri-tourism in Europe.

Find all the LAGs working on food supply chains in this section of the EU CAP Network website.

Climate change and environment – TNC project ideas

Youth involvement and youth funding are crucial in this topic as well. LEADER could support a transnational cooperation on young generations for ecology and rural innovation and help increase awareness for sustainable everyday life, including developing sustainable mobility services.

Find all the LAGs working on climate change and environmental sustainability in this section of the EU CAP Network website.

Looking forward to cooperating!

At the EU CAP Network, we do our best to strengthen networking for LAGs and other LEADER stakeholders in their TNC journey through a series of resources available in our dedicated website section.

Among other useful tools, the LAG Directory allows you to look for LAGs that are working on specific topics, including those discussed at LINC2025: you can now browse the LAGs by theme and also refine your search to find LAGs interested in TNC. If you are a LAG manager (or staff member), make sure to keep your LAG profile up to date!

Check this article for a full overview of the EU CAP Network's website functionalities supporting LEADER networking and cooperation, and learn more about the topics LAGs are working on in their Local Development Strategies in this article.