Local Action Group for the management of the LEADER+ program
in the Basque Country
in the Basque Country
LEADER is the name through which the consecutive communitarian initiatives on rural development in the European Union are known. It comes from the French acronym of "Liaisons entre Activités de Developement de L&undefined;Economie Rural" (Links between the Rural Economy and Development Actions). LEADER+, the last of the three communitarian initiatives on rural development carried out, was introduced by the Commission Notice C/139/C to the Member States on April 14th, 2000. Its purpose is to enhance original sustainable development and quality strategies, aimed at experimenting new ways of evaluation of the natural and cultural heritage, to improve employment and to improve the quality of organization of the respective rural communities.
LEADER I (1991-1994) established the beginning of a new understanding of rural development policy, based on a territorial approach, integrated and participative. It obtained a positive response from the private sector through investment contributions.
LEADER II (1994-1999) disseminated the LEADER I approach, giving specific importance to the innovating character of projects. Among other aspects, LEADER II, pursued the enhancement of innovative activities carried out by local agents in all sectors of the activity in the rural world.
LEADER+ (2000-2006) maintains its function as a laboratory for the discovery and experimentation of new approaches of integrated and sustainable development that influence the rural policy of the European Union. It does not aim at being a mere continuation of the LEADER II initiative, but is destined to enhance and support integrated strategies of great quality for rural development at a local sphere. It puts special emphasis on the development of the four aspects or agglutinating themes (use of new knowledge and technology, improvement of quality of life, evaluation of local products and evaluation of the natural and cultural resources), its pilot scheme character, the partnerships (associations) on quality and in interterritorial and transnational projects.
The central axis of MENDINET’s LEADER+ programme is formed by Information and Communication Technologies.
The programme has a general objective and many specific objectives as well:
General Objective
To favour socioeconomic development of rural areas Objective 2 in the Basque Country with the aim of promoting the improvement in its quality of life and the settlement of the rural population. This goal will be reached by using a model that allows the direct participation of the agents involved in the development of our rural areas.
Specific Objectives
Subsidized Measures
The measures included in the Programme are:
The aids shall be granted according to what is set in Decree 229/2000 of the 1st October from the Department of Agriculture and Fishing of the Basque Government, which regulates the application of the Programme, as well as according to the Order on aids, which is published annually. These aids are co-funded by the FEOGA-O and by the Basque Government Funds. The Order considers the existing budgeted amount, the deadlines for the application and all the necessary information to submit projects to MENDINET.
LEGISLATION
