1. Focus on Governance and territorial achievements in Leader Plus period European Commission Évora, Portugal, 2007 Jela Tvrdonova

2. Starting with today......., EU Strategic guidelines for Rural Development 2007 – 2013, horizontal/cross cutting priority (all axes):  improved governance (coherent programming, integrated approaches, integration of regional and sub-regional development strategies and in particular of the Leader approach in overall programming).

3. What does it mean - a governance in Leader approach? It is more than (self) government It is more than management It is more than money

4. Good governance in Leader approach (leasons learned) Depends on the quality of:  Local partnerships and networks  Local development strategy  Management structures Also depends on:  Overall/framework regional and national governance systems

5. Local partnerships Well balanced and representative from the point of:  Sectors – public/private/civic  The territory representation  Institutional representation  Social situation  Gender Based on trusty relations Equipped with necessary skills, knowledge and information With transparent structures and performance Open to new groups of stakeholders Open to networks and cooperation with other partners broad- wide

6. Local development strategy  Bottom up, participatory and integrated design  Reflecting real situation of the territory  Intervening within the key priority areas  Functioning in real circumstances, having good balanced selection of measures and financial backstopping targeted to real needs  Well accessible to active rural stakeholders  Having good monitoring and self-evaluation framework

7. Management structures  Well equipped with skills and knowledge, administrative and consultancy capacities  Ready to help „real innovators“  Ready to communicate, cooperate and network on various levels and directions  Serve as facilitator and catalyst of the local strategy implementation

8. Overall governance  The administrative, institutional and legal system of particular countries  „Multilevel governance“ - Good cooperation among EU (e.g.DG Agri) – national – regional and local levels in preparation, implementation and evaluation of rural development programs  Ability to coordinate and create partnerships with other sectors at each level

9. What is the added value of the governance in Leader? (Lessons learned)  Territorial identity, pride and ownership  Multi-sector partnership and cooperation (new and innovative institutional development) – in the territory and outside  Sharing – values, information, networks, trust, money.....  Social inclusion going far beyond the traditional hierarchy of the society (....and not only women and youth...), bringing variety of actors  Democracy going far beyond election based on participation in „everyday“ decisions and existing hierarchical structures, opening door for more stakeholders into the decision making process

10. What is the added value of the governance? (Lessons learned)  Building up the valuable social capital and combining it with the natural, material and financial capital for the whished change in the territory  Solution for 21 century in more effective, efficient and sustainable utilizing public resources in combination with private resources  It strengthens local democratic processes based on participation of local actors in development, organised in multi-sector partnerships

11. What can be threatening the added value of the „Leader type of governance“? Above the LAG level:  Questioning the legitimacy of Leader approach („small money“, centralistic approach, taken by local authorities...) versus supporting its legitimacy to be a opportunity to improve via Leader governance patterns  Loosing the autonomy of LAGs, lack of trust from the side of national and regional authorities to transfer administrative competences to local level  Various perceptions of Mainstreaming opportunity (fear of favoring farmers: „Taking the point „also farmers“ rather than „not only farmers“, fear of centralistic approach)  Lack of vertical cooperation among various levels and sectors at these levels

12. What can be threatening the added value of the „Leader type of governance“? The LAG level  Leader just an appendix to existing power structures  Administration unit instead the development opportunity  Not opening the space for additional stakeholders – creating elites  Building up un-balanced partnerships – not only in line with Regulation considering sectors but also considering  Undermining the territorial capacity building part

13. The message.... The Leader across the three programming period has proven: That it is the most comprehensive instrument of the EU policies supporting the very innovative approach towards governance of rural areas based on the integrated and endogenous use of their potentials...

14. The message.........delivering competitiveness, sustainability and quality of life in one package, with the possibility to tailor it to specific needs of particular rural territories.....

15. The message........therefore it shall not only fill the gap of mainstreaming policies, but shall be provided in its full capacity as the valuable alternative to sector approaches for rural areas in all EU members states.

16. Thank you for your attention!!!