Advocacy
JOIN OUR CALL FOR A STRONGER FUTURE FOR RURAL EUROPE
At ELARD, we believe in the power of community-led local development (CLLD) and the LEADER approach to create thriving, resilient rural areas. However, without dedicated and sufficient EU funding, these vital participatory tools are at risk.
That’s why we launched a petition to raise our voices and adocate for what we believe in.
We are demanding a strong commitment: a substantial, dedicated portion of the post-2027 EU budget for participatory development tools like LEADER, CLLD, and territorial cooperation.
What can you do?
👉 Sign the petition to make your voice heard before May 15
👉 Share it far and wide—every signature brings us closer to change
👉 Encourage your networks, organisations, and policymakers to support this initiative!
Europe cannot afford to leave its rural communities behind. Let’s ensure that LEADER and CLLD remain pillars of EU rural development for generations to come.
What else can you do?
There you will find below the consultations any LEADER-CLLD need to give their input in in as they will directly, or indirectly impact, our work.
EU funding for the single market, and cooperation between national authorities
Closes 6 May, 2025
The European Commission is preparing for the next multiannual financial framework (MFF), the EU’s long-term budget, which will start in 2028. Following President von der Leyen’s Political Guidelines for the 2024-2029 European Commission, the Commission aims to create a simpler, more focused, and responsive budget that reflects European strategic priorities. To achieve this, seven public consultations are launched to gather views from interested parties on how to make the most of the EU budget. The consultations will cover various policy areas, including cohesion policy, agriculture, and home affairs, with the goal of creating a more effective and efficient budget that delivers on key objectives.
Citizen Engagement Impact Consultation
Closes April 25, 2025
The European Commission’s Competence Centre on Participatory and Deliberative Democracy (CC-DEMOS) invites public administrations from EU Member States to share examples of impact that citizen engagement has had in policymaking at local, regional and national levels.
Examples of impact can include both tangible impact (measurable, e.g. whether policy recommendations made by citizens were adopted in policymaking) and intangible forms (e.g. increased trust in institutions), that have been observed by the coordinators of citizen engagement initiatives. The CC-DEMOS is collecting such examples as part of a study on how citizen participation makes a difference in local and national governance systems.
Consultation: implementing EU funding with Member States and regions
Closes 6 May, 2025
This consultation covers EU funds implemented with Member States and regions in the following areas: cohesion policy, common agricultural policy, fisheries and maritime policies, home affairs and Trans-European Networks. The decision to cluster issues serves to support the preparatory work and does not pre-empt the architecture of future programmes.
ADVOCACY TIMELINE
We’ve built the timeline below to highlight key past and upcoming events related to the discussions on the future shape of policies and budget that concern rural areas in the EU. These are crucial moments where decisions and negotiations will shape the future of EU funding instruments, including those impacting local development.
As ELARD, we are actively following these developments and advocating for the interests of LAGs across Europe. Our engagement focuses on ensuring that CLLD-LEADER remains a strong and effective tool in the next programming period. Through our participation in these events, we aim to amplify the voice of rural and local actors, influencing policies to support bottom-up, place-based approaches in EU funding.
To gain a deeper understanding into the issue, consult our page “Exploring the issue“