The LEADER Approach

Why is LEADER specific?

THE SEVEN SPECIFIC FEATURES OF LEADER

7. Inter-territorial and international cooperation

Co-operation goes further than networking. It involves a Local Action Group undertaking a joint project with another LEADER group, or with a group taking a similar approach, in another region, Member State, or even a third country. Cooperation with other regions is often the best source of innovation for the LAGs. From new viewpoints one can better see the new opportunities. In the European rural development policy LEADER has the main responsibility for transnational cooperation.

"Inter-territorial cooperation and networking bestows a European dimension to local development in rural areas from the very start on. It allows local actors to experience similarities and differences in utterly new dimensions, it opens up people's minds, leads to knowledge exchange, pooling and transfer and provides new perspectives for solution oriented strategies and concepts regardless of the great diversity of rural areas and governance contexts." (Lukesch & Schuh 2007)