Leader Observatory Final Conference:

1
Leader Observatory Final Conference Leader
achievements a diversity of territorial
experience 22-23 November 2007Évora/Portugal
European Commission

• LAG Außerfern (Austria)
• Experiences, Results, Impacts

2
Austria Implementation Structures

Federal Ministry of Agriculture,
Other Ministries
National level
Forestry, Environment and Water
Management (MA)
Supporting Departments
The Länder Regional level
National Network Unit
Länder 8 Regional Programme Units

56 LAGs
Local level
3
Main Themes of Discussion

• Local / Territorial Strategy Planning,
  Implementation, Achievements
• Governance and Participation Organisational
  development, Co-operation, Structures, Tools and
  Methods
• Innovation Innovative (multi-)sectoral Projects
  and Methods
• Networking and Co-operation National and
  Transnational
• Non-Leader Complementary Tools, Methods and
  Programmes
• Competitiveness (Lisbon) and Sustainability
  (Gothenburg)
• Future Challenges, Risks, Key messages
• Conclusions

4
Key Messages

• The success of LEADER depends on a fruitful
  cooperation of innovators and men/women in power
  as well as on a good understanding of the LEADER
  principles.
• Close and trustful co-operation with the public
  authorities is an important prerequisite for the
  successful implementation of multisectoral
  strategies/projects and the bottom-up process.
• Strategic planning is an ongoing process. The
  strategy has to be revised regularly within
  certain time frames. The strategy must allow some
  flexibility to deal with new challenges.
• New skills and innovative methods in strategic
  planning, local governance and quaility
  management on strategic and project level are
  the key to a sustainable improvement and impact
  of rural development activities.
• Innovation is a risky business Strict guidelines
  and financial control can limit the innovation
  capacity. The financial control system must
  recognize the pilot action philosophy of LEADER.
• Equal opportunities social inclusion Higher
  involvement of women and young people is a
  crucial issue in rural development and should
  become a prior objective and activity.
• The multisectoral LEADER approach should be
  strengthend within the Rural Development
  Programme the concentraton primarly on farming
  should be reduced.

5
The Panel Members

• Vinzenz Knapp (Mayor LAG Chairman)
• Dietmar Schennach (Head of district Außerfern)
• Christian Stampfer (Regional authority, Land of
  Tyrol)
• Dorli Hackl (Farmer, Project manager)
• Liesi Pfurtscheller (Projekt manager, Gender,
  Culture)
• Elfriede Huber (Project manager, social
  inclusion)
• Günter Salchner (LAG Manager)