Leader Axis Rural Development Policy 20072013 by JeanMichel Courades AGRIF3

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Leader Axis Rural Development Policy
2007-2013by Jean-Michel Courades AGRI-F3
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Seminar Objectives

• Update of 2006 Vienna Seminar
• Publication of implementing rules
• Guides on Leader Axis and Cooperation
• Special focus on cooperation and Networking

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Leader Axis

• Introduction
• Legal aspects (leader method and rules)
• Administrative aspects (implementation steps)

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Conception of Leader Axis

• The various policy options
• Thematic and geographical scope of application)
• Application to one or several axes
• Geographical application (application on a wider
  scale for certain MS only)

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Role of Leader approach in the programme
governance tool endogenous development
tool innovation tool territorial tool
integration tool
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Policy targets local governance objective

• to increase the number of selected Lags, or
• to increase the share of rural territory covered,
  or
• to increase the share of rural population covered

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2. Legal aspects

• - leader method
• - principles
• - rules

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Council Regulation relevant provisions

• Specific chapter / Section on axis 4 (Articles
  61 to 65)
• Definition of Leader approach and local action
  group (Art. 61 and 62)
• Leader measures and conditions (Art. 63 to 65)
• Other chapters
• Balance between objectives (Art.17)
• EARDF contribution (Art.70)
• Technical assistance Networking (Art. 67 and 68)
  

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Commission Regulation (EC) 1974/2006

• Article 37 selection of local action groups
• Article 38 budget for running costs
• Article 39 cooperation rules

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Definition of the Leader approachat programme
level(Art 61)

• a) area-based approach b) bottom-up
  approachc) public-private partnershipd) inte
  grated approach e) innovationf) cooperation
  g) networking
• mandatory at Local action group level as well

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Leader approach

• All elements of the Leader approach have to be
  present in the Leader axis in the measures
  conditions.
• Not all are mandatory at LAG level.
• LAGs should have access both to the cooperation
  measure (interregional and transnational
  cooperation)
• Innovation shoud be used as a LAG selection
  criteria

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Delivery system measures (Art 63)

• a) Implementing local development strategies to
  achieve the objective of one or more of the 3
  axes
• b) Cooperation 
• c) Running the local action group, acquisition
  of skills and animating the territory .

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Decision making process in the implementation of
local strategy

• procedure for the selection of operations by the
  local action groups,
• and description of the financial circuits
  applicable for local action groups shall be
  described in the programme.
• Bottom up principle to respect Individual
  projects/operations selected by local action
  groups (assessment of project relevance toward
  local strategy)
• Eligibility checks (legal control) made by the
  Managing Authority/Paying Agency in the majority
  of MS

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Conception of the Leader axisApplication scope
of Local Development Strategies (articles 63 a)
and 64 of Reg. 1698/2005)

• within the scope of the rural developement
  measures
• outside the scope of the rural development
  measures but within the 3 Axes objectives

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The operation corresponds to a measure

• The eligibility conditions of the measure apply.
• EU conditions apply
• Additional national/regional conditions if
  applicable and described in the programme
• rules on eligibility of expenditure established
  (Article 71.3)
• Additional local conditions in the local
  development strategy if measure not described in
  the programme (exclusive implementation by Leader
  Axis)
• Content of Annex II has to be defined either in
  the programme or in the local development
  strategies

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The operation corresponds to a measure

• Selection criteria applies if relevant
• EU legislation mention selection criteria for
  extension services, producer groups, agri
  environment payments and aforestation
• At programme level selection criteria might be
  defined also for other measures according to
  programme needs
• At local level in the local development strategy
  selection criteria might be defined

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The operation does not correspond to a measure

• definition of  operation  has to be respected
   action selected according to criteria laid down
  for the rural development programme concerned and
  implemented by one or more beneficiaries
  allowing achievement of one the axes objectives

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The operation does not correspond to a measure

• Selection criteria (contribution to the LDS)
• Eligibility criteria (e.g. operation selected by
  the Lag selection body, territorial eligibility,
  causality link with Axis objectives, eligible
  beneficiaries are often defined in programmes)

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Example 1 operation corresponding to a measure
(marketing rural tourist products)

• Eligible operation under the measure
   encouragement of tourist activities 
• If the measure is programmed under axis 3,
  national eligibility rules will be defined at
  national level (Article 71.3) and should be
  respected by the LAG)
• If measure not programmed under Axis 3 LAG can
  also support this operation if relevant for its
  strategy and corresponding to one of the Art. 55
  eligible operations.

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Example 1 operations not corresponding to a
measure as defined by Regulation
1698/2005(developing a local food territorial
quality label promotion of non food local
products)

• Operations envisaged (market study on the
  development of a joint marketing strategy using a
  territorial label, coordination of local
  producers and retailers and creation of the
  label)
• Food territorial label Does not correspond to
  Axis 1 measures aimed at improving the quality of
  agricultural production directed towards farmers
  and producer organisations for existing food
  quality schemes
• Promotion of non food local products (do not
  correspond to any Axis 3 measure)
• Requirements project selection criteria
  identifying beneficiaries. Relevance for the
  local development strategy
• Eligibility criteria if defined at Leader Axis
  level (e.g. category of eligible beneficiaries,
  maximum operation eligible cost)

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Conception of the Leader axis technical options

• Possible implementation of measures (e.g.
  territorial measures) out of the European menu
  of measures.
• Sub option A axis/measure implemented
  exclusively with the Leader method (merging of
  axes, integration of measure within Leader axis)
• Monitoring indicators still apply
• Sub option B measure implemented in addition to
  the top down method
• Possible exclusion of measures/axis

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Demarcation with other EU Funds

• Absence of demarcation for Axis 4
• LAG can adopt a project not covered by any RDR
  measure, it is difficult to conceive a
  demarcation line
• Demarcation between local development strategies
  implemented by the same LAG

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Measure (c) Running the LAG, acquiring skills
and animating the territory

• Running costs (maximum of 20 of local strategy
  budget)
• office, staff, equipment
• Acquisition of skills
• studies of the area concerned staff and LAG
  members training
• Animating the territory
• information measures about the area and local
  development strategy technical assistance
  towards potential beneficiaries

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Leader activities of the National Rural Network

• Mandatory LAG participation (and corresponding
  eligible expanditure)
• Skills acquisition (e.g. training programme for
  LAG being established)
• Support to cooperation (e.g. cooperation
  meetings)

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Information requirements

• Each action of information and publicity related
  to any operation or measure supported shall use
  the Leader logo

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Transitional period

• New LAG/territory
• Commitment with Lags from 1.1.2007
• New type of operations
• Commitment with Lags from 1.1.2007
• Old LAG selected under Leader Axis
• Committments with Lags from 1.1.2007 if no
  further commitment under previous programmes

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Control Regulation 1975/2006

• measure under Article 63(c) of Regulation (EC) No
  1698/2005 controls shall be carried out by
  persons independent from the local action group
  concerned.(see Article 32)
• In the case of expenditure incurred under Article
  63(a) and (b) the administrative checks may be
  carried out by local action groups under a formal
  delegation. However, the Member State remains
  responsible for verifying that local action
  groups have the administrative and
  controlcapacity to undertake that work (Article
  33)
• The Member State shall implement an appropriate
  system of supervision of the local action groups.
  This shall include regular controls of the
  operations of the local action groups, including
  bookkeeping checks and sample reperformance of
  administrative checks.

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3. Administrative implementation aspects

• implementation steps
• decision making process

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various models of administrative, management
and financial circuits

• Common feature Selection of operations
  according to the bottom up principle
• Possible use of global grant at LAG level with
  financial autonomy
• Good practices concentration of public funds,
  advances to LAGs

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Leader axis implementation steps

• Prior Acquisition of skills for new Lags or
  existing Lags
• Selection of local development strategy
• Contractualization with Lags
• Implementation of local development strategy
• Continuing training/permanent acquisition of
  skills

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Acquisition of skills

• promotional events and the training of leaders
• the training of staff involved in the preparation
  and implementation of a local development
  strategy
• studies of the area concerned (territorial
  diagnostic, development strategy)
• measures to provide information about the area
  and the local development strategy

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Acquisition of skills (Bulgaria and Romania)
Article 37a (Reg 437/2007)

• acquiring skills may cover also the costs related
  to building representative local development
  partnerships, drawing up integrated development
  strategies, financing research and preparing
  applications for the selection of local action
  groups.
• Such costs are eligible for potential local
  action groups.

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The selection of the local action groups

• Organisation of selection procedure
• Minimal selection criteria
• Partnership
• Territory
• Local strategy

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Selection of local development strategy

• Opened selection procedure ensuring competition
  between Lags (several calls if opened to new
  lags)
• No later than 2 years after approval of programs
  (3 years for Bulgaria and Romania)
• indicated in the programme
• procedure and timetable for selecting the local
  action groups,
• including objective selection criteria
• planned maximum number of LAGs
• planned percentage of rural territories covered
  by local development strategies
• justification for selection of areas whose
  population falls outside the limits set out in
  Article 36(3) of this Regulation,
• Detailed selection criteria approved later after
  consultation of the Monitoring Committee
• Launching one or several calls for proposal

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Selection of local action groups (Art 62)Minimal
criteria

• Partnership related criteria
• Be responsible for strategy implementation
• Representative of partners from the various
  locally based socio-economic sectors
• At decision-making level representation of the
  economic and social actors and civil society (at
  least 50  of the local partnership)
• (e.g. Chambers of trade, agriculture, or SMEs,
  NGOs, rural women association)
• Ability to define and implement a development
  strategy
• Ability to administer public funds

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Selection of local action groups (Art 62)Minimal
criteria

• Strategy related criteria
• Integrated local development strategy
• Priority to cooperation (in old Member States)
  and innovation
• Territory related criteria
• Coherent area and critical mass to support a
  viable development strategy
• A  rural territory  within the definition of
  rural areas as defined by the programme

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Contractualization with Lags(current
administrative practices)

• With LAG if own legal entity
• With intermediate body (legal public entity
  designated by the Lag to administer the permanent
  structure)
• Can be tri-partite agreement

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Approval of operations

• LAG
• Local calls for proposals (transparency and equal
  treatment with objective selection criteria)
• Selection of projects among list of submitted
  projects (quality assessment in relation to the
  local development strategy)
• MA/PA
• Ex- ante eligibility checks
• Formal approval by MA/PA
• Notification to project owner/grant agrement
  (MA/PA or LAG)

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Project Selection criteria

• Quality assessment
• Relevance and added value for the local
  development strategy

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Role of LAGs

• Information and meetings with potential
  beneficiaries
• Technical assistance for project development
• Reception and eligibility assessment of proposals
• Selection of projects by the private-public
  partnership (selection committee)

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Exemple of grant agreement(MA/PA/LAG and
recipient of payment)

• Subject
• Duration
• maximum possible funding
• detailed description of action
• general conditions (applicable law, information
  obligations)detailed of eligible
  costsestimated overall budgetresponsibility of
  the beneficiary/recipient of paymentreporting
  and payments obligations

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Financial circuits

• Payment to the final beneficiary (e.g. commune or
  local enterprise)
• by the Paying Agency
• by the LAG
• After payment the LAG can ask the reimbursement
  of EU contribution to the Paying Agency
• LAG Financial management should respect
  conditions approved with Paying Agency
• Paying Agency having paid the EU contribution to
  the LAG should ensure that all eligibility rules
  and conditions have been respected,

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Monitoring Output Indicators

• 41 Implementing local development strategies
• Number of local action groups ("LAG")
• Total size of the LAG area (km2)
• Total population in LAG area
• Number of projects financed by LAGs
• Number of beneficiaries supported
• 421 Implementing cooperation projects
• Number of cooperation projects
• Number of cooperating LAGs
• 431 Running the local action group, acquiring
  skills and animating the territory
• Number of actions supported
• Rural Development measure indicators if measure
  implemented with a Leader approach