Networking with LEADER in spring 2025

The EU CAP Network's team has been busy networking for and with LEADER in the last few months. Here's a recap of the main events we have attended, with some hopefully useful insights for your LEADER work in your own country.

Third meeting of the Subgroup on LEADER and territorial development

Members of the Subgroup on LEADER and territorial development – part of the EU CAP Network governance – gathered in Brussels on 5 and 6 March 2025 for their third meeting since the official launch of the Network.

The meeting offered the Subgroup members an overview of the recent policy developments at the EU level, including the European Commission's Vision for agriculture and food. Relevant areas of rural development identified in the Vision include strengthening LEADER/CLLD and Smart Villages, operationalising the rural proofing principles, further developing the concept of functional rural areas, and updating the Rural Action Plan and the Rural Pact.

Presentations highlighted LEADER’s increasing role in addressing new areas such as communication, social resilience, security, and countering disinformation, topics which are explored in detail in the articles linked here.

Interesting data on LEADER implementation in Rural Development Programmes and in the CAP Strategic Plans was shared by the European Commission, and details are available in the presentations on the event page and in the event report. A session on ‘Making LEADER younger, smarter, simpler’ featured short reports on specific LEADER activities from Poland, Italy, Austria, Lithuania, Belgium (Flanders) and Finland.  

The second day of the event gave ample space to interactive sessions, where participants identified simplification (particularly for Transnational Cooperation – TNC) as a priority theme. This is a topic that the EU CAP Network has recently tackled in an article about LEADER simplification efforts in Estonia, as well as a recent Thematic Group focused on effective approaches for simplification within the CAP. 

Several recommendations made by Subgroup members related to improving communication and knowledge exchange, particularly to encourage youth involvement in LEADER. The EU CAP Network will take the Subgroup's recommendations into account in the development of its Annual Work Programme for the period July 2025 – July 2026, which will be available on the website in the near future.

CLLD: opportunities for a shared future

The event CLLD – Prosperous Communities – Opportunity for a Shared Future 28+ (31 March – 02 April 2025) took place in Czechia on the initiative of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Regional Development, the National Rural Network and the National Local Action Groups (LAG) Network of the Czech Republic.

This international conference focused on Community-led local development (CLLD), mainly under the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), and its multi-fund approach. Czechia is an inspiring example of this, featuring a strong coordination of all the Ministries involved instead of a lead fund approach – you can read more in our dedicated article on multi-funding CLLD in Czechia.

The programme started with field visits to projects, implemented through the ESF+ by the LAG Brdy-Vltava, that are focusing on social service provision in its area, with attention to vulnerable people and groups at risk of social exclusion. The following two days offered opportunities for networking and knowledge sharing through presentations and panel discussions.

The many practical examples shared by Czech LAGs show that LAGs can play a key role in developing and implementing new approaches to rural social services, from complementing existing ones to coordinating service provision. Czech LAGs are successfully adopting an integrated approach to this aim, using a combination of different European and national funds and working together with the public sector (municipalities, schools, state-funded social service providers and counsellors) and NGOs. Using ESF+, Czech LAGs can programme one umbrella project in their strategies focusing on social services.  

The broad recognition of LAGs’ role has been clearly demonstrated by the participation and endorsement of LAGs by several Ministers, including the Deputy Prime Minister, as well as the plan to enshrine LAGs and their role in regional development in the national legislation.

Youth as key to rural development

The European Congress on Renewal and Rural Development (Poznan, 8-10 May) was organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Poland, as part of the programme of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It hosted over 1 500 participants and featured 180 speakers, including ministers from several Member States and the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen.

The Congress aimed to showcase ideas, innovative solutions, and best practices, as well as actors and support systems working for rural areas in the context of global challenges. Youth was one of the key themes of the event, with two dedicated sessions.

The session on ‘A vision of rural development, educational and cultural challenges in Europe from the perspective of young people' explored the vital role of youth in shaping rural Europe, especially in the context of agriculture, education and social engagement. Speakers highlighted both enduring structural barriers and emerging opportunities (such as those offered by European mobility programmes like Erasmus+).

The panel concluded with a shared vision: young people are willing to and capable of revitalising rural areas, but only if structural obstacles- such as lack of services, geographical isolation and lack of educational opportunities- are addressed and local opportunities are expanded. Integrating tradition with innovation could help build a new, resilient model for rural development, led by the next generation.

The panel ‘Hopes for the next generation – the viewpoint of Europe’s youth’ reiterated the urgent need for generational renewal in agriculture. There was a call for a unified EU definition of sustainability and greater investment in education and technical training, as well as empowering young rural people to be local changemakers. Clear suggestions for the CAP were also formulated, namely: a minimum share of the CAP budget dedicated to youth, better-targeted direct payments and capacity-building support, and a stronger focus on social inclusion, climate action, and digital transition. There was also a call for a ‘generational pact’ to revitalise the countryside, urging policy support to help rural youth rediscover farming as a modern and dynamic career, and incentivise innovation in the primary sector – topics that were explored in our recent Thematic Groups on Gen Z: Leading Generational Renewal in Farming and on Valuing Farmers' Wider Contributions to Society.