More than 4,500 European municipalities call for safeguarding LEADER-CLLD in the next EU budget
More than 4,500 municipalities across Europe have expressed their support for safeguarding and strengthening LEADER-CLLD in the next EU programming period (2028–2034). Building on this strong support, the European LEADER Association for Rural Development (ELARD) has addressed EU decision-makers, calling for dedicated funding and a stronger role for community-led local development in the future EU budget.
From local support to European advocacy
Through ELARD’s national member networks and Local Action Groups (LAGs), municipalities across Europe were invited to express their support for LEADER-CLLD. More than 4,500 municipalities have responded, and further letters of support continue to arrive.
The letters go beyond a general expression of support for LEADER-CLLD. They contain four clear requests for the next EU programming period:
1. Guarantee LEADER-CLLD across EU policies, with dedicated funding.
Community-led local development should be a mandatory part of the Common Agricultural Policy, Cohesion Policy and Common Fisheries Policy, with sufficient and predictable funding. Its future should not depend on what remains after other priorities have been financed.
2. Keep LEADER open to everyone in rural communities.
LEADER must continue to support the development of entire rural areas, not only agriculture. This means enabling Local Action Groups to support local businesses, municipalities, civil society organisations, young people and other local actors, alongside farmers and forest holders.
3. Protect local decision-making.
The strength of LEADER lies in giving local partnerships the responsibility to identify their own development priorities and decide which projects to support. Local Action Groups must retain these responsibilities. Without genuine local decision-making, the bottom-up approach loses its meaning.
4. Give local communities a real say in future EU funding plans.
LEADER-CLLD must have a clear role and secured resources in the new National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs). Local Action Groups and their networks must be involved from the beginning in preparing and implementing these plans, ensuring that decisions about rural development reflect the needs of the communities concerned.
Together, these requests underline a fundamental principle: rural communities should not simply receive EU funding decisions made elsewhere. They should have the resources and the responsibility to shape their own development.
ELARD calls for clear financial guarantees
On 2 November 2026, ELARD President Piotr Sadłocha addressed formal letters to the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Chairs of five European Parliament committees (AGRI, REGI, BUDG, EMPL and PECH), and the incoming Lithuanian Presidency. The European Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) were also included in the correspondence.
In its letters, ELARD welcomes recent developments in the Council and European Parliament recognising the broader role of LEADER in rural development. However, important questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding predictable financing and the position of LEADER-CLLD within Cohesion Policy.
ELARD calls for four key commitments in the ongoing negotiations:
1. Secure dedicated funding for LEADER under the CAP, maintaining a minimum allocation of 5% of the rural development budget.
2. Give LEADER-CLLD a stronger position within Cohesion Policy, with financial support comparable to other territorial instruments.
3. Reserve at least 50% of the proposed rural development allocation under Cohesion Policy for LEADER-CLLD, ensuring that local communities can identify priorities and make funding decisions.
4. Enable LEADER-CLLD to operate across EU policy areas, preserving its integrated, bottom-up approach.
ELARD also stresses that Local Action Groups and their representative networks must be meaningfully involved in preparing National and Regional Partnership Plans before key decisions are taken.
Europe’s local communities are ready to contribute
For more than 30 years, LEADER has brought together municipalities, businesses and civil society through local partnerships, supporting entrepreneurship, competitiveness and resilience in rural areas.
The support of more than 4,500 municipalities sends a clear message: Europe already has the partnerships and committed people needed to turn its policy ambitions into action. The next EU budget must give them the resources and opportunities to do so.
Read ELARD’s letters:
- Letter to the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union
- Letter to the European Parliament committees
- Letter to the incoming Lithuanian Presidency
