Multiple benefits from LEADER multi-funding: Workshop report

Our autumn workshop in Slovenia about multi-funding for LEADER and community-led local development (CLLD) highlighted a host of tips for building institutional capacities to manage funds from different EU programmes.

A useful collection of case study presentations about multi-funded CLLD in EU countries is available. Our case study set includes insights on how to best implement multi-funded CLLD through coordination, consultation and communication at national, regional and local levels.

Among these examples of multi-funding in action you can find, for instance, details about how the workshop’s host country Slovenia coordinates multi-funding at national level. The presentations also include a video interview featuring enabling factors for regionalised approaches to multi-funding in France and Czechia’s commitment to locally-led multi-funding is noted for its value in helping mainstream bottom-up approaches within the country’s EU funding system.

Slovenian expertise

Slovenia’s approach to multi-funding governance of CLLD operates across all rural areas, small urban zones and fisheries communities. A success factor for this wide-reaching support is the coordination, consultation and communication that occurs at national governance levels. A CLLD Governmental Working Group coordinates multi-funding across Managing Authorities for the different EU funds. Similar coordination systems have been in place since the 2014-2020 EU funding period and involved the Paying Agency, intermediate bodies, as well as European Commission Directorate Generals, and Local Action Groups (LAGs).

Consultation and communication have been used with good effect to prepare a joint public call for multi-funded local development strategies as part of harmonised national level procedures, as well as a proposed joint regulation on the implementation of CLLD covering the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in Slovenia. These provide legal certainty through the dedicated national CLLD regulation for 2023-2027. Such common governance systems at national level can filter through to be mirrored more simply at regional and local levels.

The first (and only) region in France goes for multi-funded CLLD

France’s regionalised approach to multi-funded CLLD in Nouvelle-Aquitaine was presented at the workshop with some videos. Data showed that the territorial component of EU funds for 2021-2027 is almost 193 million euros (ERDF - 124 million, EAFRD/LEADER - 64 million euros, and 4 million euros for the blue economy).

This large French region is about the same size as Austria in surface area and has committed substantial resources from its Cohesion Policy resources for multi-funded CLLD purposes. The raison d’être driving regionalised CLLD coordination relates to the results that can be achieved by pooling funds to attract more stakeholders and more innovation and more co-finance. Benefits can flow faster from multiple sources of coordinated funds.

A key point enabling Nouvelle Aquitaine’s multi-funding approach is the regional governance of CLLD, which is coordinated through a single framework. The regional authority can manage the multi-funding internally, allowing it to act as a one-stop-shop harmonising the management of funds for CLLD that are provided by different line ministries in Paris. This ‘umbrella’ role unifies national EU funding channels, which subsequently simplifies consistent support systems for 54 CLLD territories in the region.

These CLLD support systems incorporate all the national requirements for each EU fund and are monitored by common indicators. A subcommittee makes regional decisions about the fisheries sector and this feeds into the overall multi-fund management mechanisms. A valuable lesson learned from the Nouvelle Aquitaine experience relates to the effectiveness of communication and consultation during co-design of coordinated regional support for the 54 CLLD territories, particularly for reducing risks of programming unknown duplication.

Local consultation in Czechia

Multi-funding approaches in Czechia have been designed closely with LAGs. This underlined the synergies that can be gained by local and national levels working well together during the testing and creation of multi-funding frameworks for LEADER. An example presented during the workshop about the LAG Český Západ showed that they are using a combination of the EAFRD, ESF+, and the ERDF. What is notable for Czechia is a relatively high planned participation of the ERDF.

Czechia’s CSP provides possibilities for the LAG Český Západ and others to operate their multi-funded local development strategies to address the local needs of LAGs, such as support noted in the national CSP to strengthen rural areas by LEADER funding for agriculture, the food industry, forestry, municipal services like libraries, rural tourism and small-scale infrastructure among other local needs. 

The Managing Authorities support the LAGs to organise their own multi-funding support. Outcomes help to mainstream bottom-up approaches within the country’s public sector. Instead of a top-down directive approach, Managing Authorities for EU funds have permanent coordination arrangements via a national CLLD platform. Together, the national authorities consult and communicate with LAGs to for multi-funded CLLD projects in rural and urban Czechia. This allows for a more standardisation of multi-funded local development strategies.

To sum up, the expertise gathered at our LEADER workshop helped to highlight enabling points for effective multi-funding which are dependent on multi-level governance functions at national, regional, and local levels. It also puts the spotlight on how institutional capacity for LEADER and CLLD multi-funding can be built up by investing in coordination, consultation, and communication across all governance levels. A Highlights report from the workshop will provide more information about the points discussed in Slovenia, including Member State approaches to coordination, financing, audit and monitoring.