Local Action Groups (LAG) are based on the principle of partnership and cooperation of public, private and NGO sectors at local level.

Local Action Groups are thus made up of representatives of municipalities, local entrepreneurs (also farmers), NGOs and active citizens. In terms of legal forem they are NGOs, most often civic associations and public benefit (beneficiary) associations. It is therefore a certain form of an institutionalised Public-Private Partnership. The territory of individual LAGs shall be homogenous and shall be populated by 10,000 to 100,000 inhabitants, excluding towns with more than 25,000 inhabitants, while each municipality can belong to one LAG only.

Each LAG draws up a multi-sectoral development strategy for its area which is subject to approval of all its members. Essential is also an adequate administrative capacity (LAG manager, LAG staff) for the subsequent implementation of the strategy. In the framework of aid programmes, the best strategies are selected and subsequently supported. The selected LAGs then issue a call for proposals of project applications and select those which they recommend for the support. The decision-making on the selection of individual projects is thus decentralised and rests upon the respective Local Action Groups provided that the LAG decisionmaking body has a simple majo-rity of private and NGO sector representatives.

In the territory of the CR there are over 135 LAGs subscribing to the LEADER approach. 112 of them are suppoted in the framework of the Rural Development Programme. The NN LAG CR wishes to encourage the mainte-nance and development of all the active LAGs applying the LEADER approach. The utilisation of LAG structures as an effective vehicle for rural development also within other programmes constitutes a great opportunity.

Seznam MAS