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Cooperation Guide: TNC-specific Glossary of Terms

Activity Plan
The definition of an activity plan is an essential point when developing a cooperation project. The activity plan is a technical document, agreed upon by all partners, which translates the common objectives into a detailed action plan and which distributes the roles between the partners.

Establishing an action plan means that the partners have:

  • defined and agreed on individual and common objectives;
  • broken down the project into different phases and identified actions related to each of these phases;
  • prepared a detailed schedule (clear timeframe) of the different steps required until the end of the project (implementation, monitoring, evaluation and communication of the results included);
  • distributed the tasks between the coordinator and the partners of the project;
  • planned for a clear set of resources for each phase and part of the project.
All these points are put in writing in the activity plan, which may be used as a basis for the definition of the partnership agreement.
Added value (of cooperation)
The added value of cooperation is what cooperation brings to the partner areas / structures / people / citizens and what it enables to achieve, which would not have been possible individually (or would have been much more difficult to achieve or only at a lower level). Cooperation needs to add something to the local actions that reinforces the achievement of the objectives of the local development strategy.

This added value may be directly linked to the local situation of the territory (which may be assessed, for instance, using one or more of local development key points: social cohesion, identity, local image, competitiveness, evolution of technologies, social integration, activities and jobs...). It may also be directly linked to what the partnership enables to achieve by the further resources (tangible or not) it provides: valorise similarities or complementarities, reach critical masses, achieve economies of scale, develop new production methods, find new financial means, acquire new skills...

Capitalisation
Capitalisation is the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge obtained in the design and implementation of cooperation projects, gathering information on the processes and the results of the project and keeping track of it for further use. It is useful for two major purposes (and perhaps many others too!):

  • Internally: defining, developing, implementing and evaluating a cooperation project is sometimes complicated, notably when it is the first one in a specific area or for specific actors. It is important to foresee capitalisation tools at the beginning of the project, keeping in mind that we tend to forget quickly and that people involved in the local area may change. In order to secure and access previous experience, it is important that there is a local written record of the different steps of each project, on what went well, how obstacles were overcome, which results were achieved, what could have been done better... It contributes also to keeping local actors involved.
  • For external communication: cooperation takes time and resources and it is not always clear, for people who are not ‘hands on’ what its benefits are. Communicating about the different steps, the achievements, the results, etc. can only be positive and helps people to understand and believe in what is being done. Moreover, simple tools may be developed in order to communicate with citizens/inhabitants to make them aware of European action supporting local development.
Co-financing
Leader (transnational) cooperation projects which have been approved for financing receive a share of the public budget from EAFRD funding. The remainder of the budget has to be covered by co-financing, which means by funds coming from other sources of public funding or private funding to achieve a 100 % funding. These sources may be local, regional and/or national administrations and programmes.

Reminder: it is not possible to use any other European funding to co-finance a Leader (transnational) cooperation project.

Common Action
See Joint Action
Communication (external, dissemination of results)
(External) communication: cooperation takes time and resources and it is not always clear, for people who are not ‘hands on’, what its benefits are. Communicating about the different steps, the achievements, the results, etc. can help people understand and believe in what is being done. Moreover, simple tools may be developed in order to communicate with citizens/inhabitants to improve their awareness about European action supporting local development.
Communication (flow, internal, language)
(Internal) communication: the means, methods and tools to facilitate communication between partners have to be planned at an early stage. However, a cooperation project, even if the different partners and their local areas appear highly committed, risks to lag behind if regular communication regarding day to day priorities is not planned ahead of schedule. Several aspects have to be considered:
  • The language in which people will communicate: Even if it is possible to have all materials translated and/or interpreted, it is necessary that people in charge of the technical aspects agree on one common language, in order to make the project a success. A common language may be agreed individually between the coordinator and each of the partners (i.e. English with partner 1 and German with partner 2) but it will ideally be a language common to all partners.
  • The communication flow: when will partners communicate; which communication method will they use. Regular meetings at a distance (phone conferences or simple contacts for instance) have to be planned on a regular basis (e.g. every 10 days) and similarly the matters which require further communication between the partners have to be defined.
Contact Point (ENRD)
The Contact Point (CP) of the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD) facilitates transnational cooperation under axis 4 of the EAFRD. The support provided is of different types:

  • Tools are made available: the LAG database, the Leader Cooperation Offers database, the Transnational Cooperation Guide; see website page: ../../../../leader/en/leader_en.html
  • Participation in events with a cooperation dimension, in order to promote cooperation (partnership offers display and/or facilitating the meeting of potential partners).
Cooperation (transnational)
A project, which links Local Action Groups (or actors from their area) located in more than one country. It is compulsory that one of the Local Action Groups is selected under Axis 4. The project has to be implemented under the responsibility of a coordinating LAG. Cooperation shall be open to partnerships covered by the provision under Article 59 (e) of Regulation (EC) n°1698/2005 (public-private partnerships) and to other rural local groups organised according to the following features:

  1. presence of a local group active in rural development, with capacity to elaborate a development strategy for a geographical territory,
  2. the organisation of the local group is based on a partnership of local actors.
The rules may then differ from one Member State to the other: for some LAGs, the possible range may be from working with similar local rural structures located anywhere in the world to working only with other LAGs located in another Member State.

Cooperation (interregional)
A project, which links Local Action Groups (or actors from their areas) located in the same Member State. The same EU rules as under transnational cooperation are applied; although additional rules established at national level may differ from one Member State / region to another. Some may foresee cooperation only among LAGs; others may enable cooperation with ‘a similar local rural development structure.
Cooperation agreement (structure, decision making)
The cooperation agreement is a contract-type document in a legal form recognised in at least one of the participating countries and signed by all partners. It defines the general modalities of the partnership, roles, responsibilities, total budget and budget allocation as well as methods and procedures agreed among all partners (including how decisions about the project will be taken).

It is recommended to secure the cooperation agreement before the partners sign their individual grant contracts, so as to avoid any unexpected surprises.

Some Managing Authorities have made a signed cooperation agreement a mandatory requirement before the grant contract can be signed. In some cases it may be even required at the moment the grant application is submitted.

Coordinating LAG
See Project Coordinator
Funding sources / co-financing
The conditions required by potential financing structures may not totally fit the goals and objectives of the project (including when taking into account Axis 4 cooperation). Whatever funding source considered, it is useful to answer the following question before getting started: are the conditions required by the funding source compatible with the project? The idea is to stick to the purpose of the project when looking for funding sources.

If several funding sources are needed to complete the budget, particular attention should be paid to the following points:

  • are the financial sources considered compatible (do not forget that another source of EU funding cannot be considered in addition to EAFRD co-financing)?
  • can the global coherence of the project be maintained (especially if each source relates to one specific part of the project only)?
  • are the deadlines for submission of the application forms for the different financial sources compatible with each other and with the project?
  • how long will it take to manage the entire funding pool?
Database (Local Action Groups)
The Contact Point of the ENRD has developed a database, which presents, for each LAG, the contact details but also information about the area, such as the main themes of the Leader strategy and the activities of the partnership.
Database (Leader Cooperation Offers database)
The Contact Point of the ENRD has developed a database, which gathers adverts posted by LAGs in which they are seeking potential partners for either an ongoing cooperation project they wish to widen or to set up a new cooperation project. A thematic thesaurus enables to search for information easily.
Eligibility (axes/measures that can be addressed by cooperation)
Once the objective and content are clearly defined, it is important to verify how the cooperation project matches the framework of:

  • the Leader cooperation eligibility rules, as set by the Managing Authorities (including the axis / measures which can be addressed and subsequently, the type of expenditure which can be considered for funding);
  • the co-financer’s eligibility rules
Eligibility (of cost)
As for any local action, eligibility rules apply to expenses related to cooperation. These rules are, generally speaking, very similar to the ones applying to expenses related to local actions (and linked to the EU & national regulations). In some Member States or regions some further rules might apply specifically to cooperation. This has to be checked beforehand.
Financial Management
A cooperation project implies that several partners are involved, all carrying out actions related to the project which have to be financially monitored. The financial management of a cooperation project is a task which requires experience in accounting and financial procedures. The role of financial manager is normally one of the tasks of the coordinating LAG:
  • to monitor the budget in order to check that the evolution of the expenditure is coherent with the global budget of the project including gathering information concerning the expenses made by the different partners;
  • to carry out payments to partners, if the partnership system has foreseen this possibility.
Joint Action (= Common Action)
A cooperation project should consist of a joint action: The action is “joint” in the sense that it is being jointly implemented. Joint actions may be focused on capacity building, transfer of experience on local development through e.g. common publications, training seminars, twinning arrangements (exchange of programme managers and staff) leading to the adoption of common methodological and working methods or to the elaboration of a joint or coordinated development work.
Lead Partner (Project Coordinator, role)
See Project Coordinator
Letter of intent
Letters of intent may be required at some stage of project development and, if not yet established in your case, it is always good for each partner to establish one early. They formalise the intention of different partners to get involved in a cooperation project and their acceptance to contribute to the project and the different actions it may cover. According to the development stage, these letters of intent will bear different levels of information:

  • when referring to the first visit, letters of intent may simply state that there is an intention to cooperate in the different local areas (they may also give details of the planned visit, notably about the area which will host the visit, the programme, and who will pay for what in order to avoid any misunderstanding). They are not compulsory, unless required when submitting an application form in order to receive financing to cover the expenses related to this first visit. Otherwise, they may just be a ‘+’ indicating the commitment of your partner.
  • After this first visit, letters of intent may define how the different partners wish to go forward with the cooperation project. They formalise the intention to cooperate and are established prior to the partnership agreement.
Local Action Group
A Local Action Group (LAG) is a local private-public partnership which aims to improve the long-term potential of the local area and which has the ability to define and implement a development strategy for the area.

A LAG should associate public and private partners, be well balanced and representative of the existing local interest groups, drawn from the different socio-economic sectors in the area. At the decision-making level, the economic and social partners as well as other representatives of the civil society, such as farmers, rural women, young people and their associations must make up at least 50 % of the local partnership.

The LAG is selected to implement a local development strategy on the basis of criteria set up at the programme level by the Managing Authority.

The LAG is the structure which is able to carry out notably cooperation projects within EAFRD either directly or with delegation to a project promoter located in its area.
Memorandum of Understanding (partnership)
See Partnership Agreement
Monitoring and Evaluation (framework, indicators)
Monitoring is a management tool. It refers to a process of measuring progress against project monitoring indicators that were agreed at the project start. Monitoring indicators can/should measure both quantitative and qualitative information and it is essential that all partners use consistent monitoring methodologies (including common indicator definitions). The monitoring exercise is to be carried out by each partner individually for the action he is in charge of. The coordinator of the project (Lead Partner) will be in charge not only of the monitoring of ‘his/her’ local actions related to the cooperation project but also of the overall monitoring exercise for the whole cooperation project.

Evaluation is a tool which aims to assess the achievement of the implemented actions of a cooperation project and to draw lessons for the future. It involves a comprehensive methodological approach which is very often implemented at the end of the project. Here also, qualitative and quantitative elements ought to be looked at using indicators that were clearly defined at the very beginning of the project. Evaluation is usually defined in common by all the partners (including the method used, the indicators to be chosen, etc.) and it is often the role of the coordinator of the cooperation project to carry out the evaluation task internally (unless it is assigned externally). The evaluation methodology should be defined by all partners at the beginning of the project. Moreover, the evaluation can also be a way to manage the project and to eventually to redirect it “in itinere”.

Indicators will concentrate on issues directly linked to the project (e.g. is the satisfaction of a local area’s visitors greater since a tourism project intervened and/or what has been the increase in the number of beds in the partner areas; have the local production methods been improved and what has been the increase in the turnover of local producers for projects based on local products). Indicators are one component of evaluation.
National Rural Network (National Support Unit)
National Rural Networks have been established in each Member State under Article 68 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1698 /2005. Their main aims and duties are:
  • to group the organisations and administrations involved in rural development;
  • to facilitate at Member State level an exchange of expertise and support implementation and evaluation of the rural development policy and to secure and coordinate the information flow between the local, national and European level;
  • to have an action plan which provides for: a transfer of knowledge (identification and analysis of good transferable practices and provision of information about them, the organisation of exchanges of experience and know-how); training (the preparation of training programmes for Local Action Groups in the process of formation); and technical assistance for inter territorial and transnational cooperation.
Ownership (partner role, commitment)
For a cooperation project to move forward smoothly, it is important for all partners to be committed to the project. This commitment relates to different aspects:

  • firstly, each partner should feel that he/she owns the project and that it directly relates to the territorial development strategy of the area. This ‘appropriation’ can only be achieved if the partner is involved in the definition of the project and in the development of actions related to its implementation.
  • Secondly, further to the ‘feeling’, the commitment is also contractual in terms of documents, notably the partnership agreement which provides details about the distribution of roles, deliverables and the resources provided by each partner.
  • The cultural context has to be taken into account, when creating the link to the level of expected commitment. It is important to be flexible about how roles are understood and to therefore pay attention to their actual definition, in order to ensure good working flows and smooth progress during project implementation.
Partner (role, commitment)
A cooperation project gathers a number of partners, from two to sometimes many more (i.e. some projects have brought together partners from more than ten different areas). These partners may be LAGs (if the LAG is the project promoter) and/or project promoters (public or private) of which at least one is located in a Leader area (in order for the cooperation project to be eligible to obtain EAFRD support).

Each partner has a specific role to play in the cooperation project, with some specific actions to implement and some specific resources which he/she has allocated to do so. These are to be detailed in the partnership agreement.

Each partner is committed, by the agreement which he/she has agreed upon, to implement some tasks and he/she is (also financially) responsible for them towards other partners and the Managing Authority.
Partner search (cooperation fairs)
Cooperation fairs, and more generally, any European-level event, are very good occasions to meet potential partner(s). Yet, this requires that theme, needs and objectives are defined for the purposes of partner search. This means preliminary work, for which the ‘partner search’ template provided by the ENRD Contact Point may be used and for which assistance may be sought from the national rural networks and/or the ENRD Contact Point.
Partner search (databases, advert)
To search for partners, databases are available and, in most cases, links between them exist. National networks have their own ‘cooperation partner search databases’ which complement the European Leader cooperation offers database, available on the ENRD website. Depending on the type of cooperation targeted (interregional or transnational), partners may be sought preferably through one tool or the other.

In order to have their partner search advert included in the databases, LAGs (or project promoters located in a Leader area) are invited to write an advert which, in most cases, can be done with the help of a pre-defined and simple online templates. For better consistency, templates used are very much alike if not similar. This facilitates the posting of an advert via more than one tool, thus increasing the chances to find the ‘perfect’ partner.

It is indeed possible to look for partners outside the rural networks (either national or European).
Payment (how to proceed to)
When implementing a cooperation project, costs have to be paid for, which are related to the project’s individual or common actions. Splitting these expenses between the different partners may be achieved by different means:

  • The simplest way to proceed is for each of the partners to pay directly for some of the invoices. In the ideal case, each partner pays taking into account his/her share of the project total cost, as agreed in the initial budget / partnership agreement.
  • The second possibility involves one partner paying for all invoices, who then bills back to the partners, applying the agreed budget share. This is more complex, as it requires agreed arrangements among partners and coordination between the authorities involved.
Preparatory technical support
Preparatory technical assistance is a support for a given Local Action Group to achieve the first steps necessary to elaborate and define a cooperation project, e.g.:

  • first meetings between the partners for the definition of common objectives;
  • carrying out of feasibility studies in each of the areas concerned by the cooperation project;
  • search for funding sources;
  • translation costs.
Project Coordinator (Coordinating LAG) = Lead Partner
A difference is made between the local cooperation project coordinator and the global cooperation project coordinator:

A cooperation project brings together different partners. For the sake of smooth project implementation it is important that each partner is clear about what is expected from him/her and what the roles are (what to do, when, by which means). Ideally, each partner structure assigns a ‘cooperation person’ in order to ensure that there is enough local resource to monitor the cooperation project in each partner area. These local persons are the local cooperation project coordinators.

Further to these local coordinators, it is fundamental (and compulsory in terms of meeting the EU, national or regional rules) to have a coordinating LAG for the whole project. This means that one of the partners has to be clearly identified, by the cooperation agreement if any, as the global cooperation project coordinator. If this partner represents a structure, one person within the coordinating structure has to be appointed as the contact person regarding all that has to do with the cooperation project. The global cooperation project coordinator has the final responsibility for project implementation and is the contact point for the national and/or regional authorities to provide information on the progress of applications for finance and actual achievements (this includes coordination of the project reporting exercise).

There must be a minimum of functions assigned to the coordinating LAG to have real ‘Leadership’. Additional functions may be assumed on the basis of the agreement. The coordinating LAG will normally have the following animation tasks:

  • Steering and coordination of the design of the project, including preparation of the cooperation agreement presenting the cooperation project (description of the project and definition of the respective commitments of the various Local Action Groups);
  • Financial coordination of the project: Ensure that each partner submits the application form relating to his/her part of the project in due time and collect information on these applications (this information is then available to each group and the regional or national authorities concerned);
  • Steering and coordination of implementation of the project and the tasks, which are the responsibility of each partner, to ensure correct implementation for the joint project. To check compliance with the commitments made by each Leader Group for the correct implementation of the joint project; to coordinate the communication among partners (continuous exchange, regular updates on the project, specific communication at milestones);
  • Promotion and monitoring of the cooperation project: financial progress in terms of expenditure incurred and revenue secured, organization of exchanges between groups, preparation of records of implementation;
  • Evaluation of the cooperation project.


In terms of responsibility, the coordinating LAG has a ‘moral’ responsibility for the whole project, but is legally (and financially) responsible only for the actions it implements directly itself and for which it has signed a contract with the Managing Authority.
Project idea (cooperation, local strategy)
A cooperation project idea must have a strong local backing, which takes time to develop.A cooperation idea should also consolidate the local strategy and come as an answer to locally identified issues. One main question to be answered when a cooperation idea is sought or arises is: what can cooperation help us with, that we cannot solve (as well) on our own?

The cooperation idea should be specific and substantial enough to find potential partners, but not too detailed in order not to scare off potential partners and to leave the door open for them to suggest how to contribute to the project.

Before initiating a cooperation project, once a useful cooperation idea has been identified, it may make sense to check out what happens elsewhere on the same subject throughout Europe (i.e. in the databases made available by the National Rural Networks and/or by the ENRD and its Contact Point). This will further clarify the cooperation project idea and prepare the ground for completing a cooperation advert, which will help to find relevant partners.
Project promoter
The project promoter is the person or structure actually implementing the cooperation project. Within the framework of Leader transnational cooperation, this promoter may be the LAG itself or a local actor from the territory covered by the LAG.
Road map (activity plan)
See Activity Plan (letter A)
Stakeholder
Different types of stakeholders may be involved in a cooperation project:

  • LAGs themselves, which will either implement the project directly or support the cooperation project;
  • local project promoters; in case LAGs are not the ones implementing the project;
  • co-financing (or potential co-financing) bodies;
  • thematic specialists/experts related to the subject/theme covered by the cooperation project (e.g. academics from universities, researchers...);
  • coordinators of the project partners (see Project Coordinator);
  • local companies with a specific interest in the results expected from the project;
  • the local population;
  • others.
Stakeholders are important and it is necessary to involve one or the other from early stages (notably co-financing bodies, whose participation will become crucial at some point). It is equally important to keep stakeholders informed about the project status, the different steps and of the results achieved. Stakeholder communication proves useful to make cooperation better understood and improves commitment to the cooperation idea.
Strategy (cooperation idea, local strategy)
The LAG has the task to implement the area’s local development strategy. A cooperation project is expected to provide a response to some of the challenges identified therein and to feed into the achievement of the objectives of the local strategy.

Further to this, cooperation itself should be organised around a clearly defined cooperation strategy, in particular when there are several cooperation projects implemented in the same area, which is then inserted within or complementary to the local strategy.

A cooperation strategy may concern the implementation of different cooperation projects under different programmes or funding possibilities, including Leader under EAFRD.

Technical Assistance
Technical Assistance is a support which LAGs may access to facilitate their tasks and the development of concrete tools for preparing a cooperation project or its implementation: identification of needs, search for partners, definition of common objectives of the project, implementation of actions, monitoring and evaluation. This kind of technical assistance is often external and can be provided either by structures with such role (such as the national and regional networks and the ENRD Contact Point) or by external consultant specifically appointed for such purpose. Such technical assistance may be shared between several LAGs.
Last update: 23/10/2012 | Top