Opportunities from multi-funded LEADER

A useful collection of case study presentations about multi-funded CLLD in EU countries is available on the workshop webpage. 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 example, 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 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 and intermediate bodies, as well as the European Commission and 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. A proposed national joint regulation on the implementation of CLLD covering EAFRD and ERDF in Slovenia provides legal certainty 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 CLLD multi-funding in Nouvelle-Aquitanne was presented at the workshop by videos which are available on the event’s webpage. Data showed that the territorial component of EU funds for 2021-2027 is almost EUR 193 million (ERDF - EUR124 million, EAFRD/LEADER - EUR 64 million, and EUR 4 million for the blue economy). This large French region is about the same size as Austria in surface area and it has committed substantial resources from its cohesion policy resources for multi-funded CLLD purposes. The raison d’être driving regionalised CLLD coordination relate to the results that can be achieved by pooling funds to attract more stakeholders, 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 multi-funded local development strategies and an emphasis has been placed on tailoring national approaches to address the local needs of LAGs. Support is noted in the national CSP to strengthen rural areas with LEADER funding for agriculture, the food industry, forestry, municipal services like libraries, rural tourism and small-scale infrastructure, among other local needs.

The different Managing Authorities in Czechia 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 about multi-funded CLLD projects in rural and urban Czechia. This allows for 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 spotlights how institutional capacity for LEADER and CLLD multi-funding can be built by investing in coordination, consultation and communication throughout all governance levels. A more detailed report from the workshop will be made available in the new year with additional information about the points discussed in Slovenia, including Member State approaches to coordination, financing, audit and monitoring.