• The LEADER 2024 European Congress will take place in Poitiers, France, under the theme of cooperation.
• In addition to connecting Local Action Groups and stakeholders interested in the LEADER approach, the "ELARD 2024 Cooperation Awards" will be held.
• The awards are for cooperation projects from the 2014-2022 programming period.

Rural development initiatives in the European Union do not originate from large, out-of-touch administrations. On the contrary, the LEADER approach has delegated planning initiative to local communities since the 1990s. Local Action Groups ( LAGs ) , made up of public and private entities, act as project promoters, experts in the area, and drivers of rural revitalization.

In this context, the European LEADER Partnership for Rural Development ( ELARD )—an independent entity made up of 29 Member States and more than 2,500 LAGs—carries out non-profit initiatives to improve the quality of life in rural areas and repopulate them through sustainable and integrated local development. Therefore, ELARD has announced the second edition of the "LEADER 2024 European Congress ," a large-scale event that will bring together LAGs from all over Europe and some countries abroad.

The event will take place on October 2 and 3 in Poitiers, France, under the theme of "cooperation ." It's "a perfect opportunity to talk about cooperation," the organizers assure, "and to exchange ideas and discuss each group's cooperation projects."

The highlight of the conference will be the awards given to LEADER projects: the "ELARD Cooperation Awards 2024" (open until September 9), an opportunity to recognize LEADER cooperation projects , one of the seven principles of the LEADER approach.

Registration for the conference and awards is now open, and the provisional program includes a variety of activities: training sessions, workshops, a cooperative fair, and experience exchanges between experts, stakeholders , and LAG managers.

In the coming weeks, as the event approaches, the organizers will provide more details on the program and dynamics of the conference.

“ELARD Cooperation Awards 2024”

These awards are organized by ELARD itself in collaboration with GAL federations or networks, and will consist of four different prizes: the "Popular Choice Award" and three jury prizes.

Public and private beneficiaries of the LEADER program are welcome to apply for the 2014-2022 programming period. To formalize your application, you must submit a presentation video of up to three minutes in English (or your native language, but with English subtitles), which will be shown at the event. Only one project per entity or partner will be accepted.

Participation is free, and applications can be submitted by completing the following form , open until September 9th . Voting for the People's Choice Award will be open until September 27th. The ceremony will take place at the congress itself on October 3rd.

The selection criteria for the winning prizes are:

• Quality of collaboration: takes into account whether partners are diverse and complementary in their activities.
• LEADER Impact and Added Value: Considers improved governance, social capital, and results compared to a non-cooperation project, as well as its ability to reach many beneficiaries and specific geographic areas.
• Relevance to LEADER objectives: This highlights the cooperation project's alignment with LEADER principles (bottom-up approach; territorial development strategies; public-private collaboration; integrated and multisectoral actions; innovation; cooperation; and networking).
• Sustainability and viability: whether the cooperation project can be sustained over time or extended.
• Transnational impact: assesses the impact in terms of mutual learning and knowledge transfer on an international scale.

If an organization wishes to contribute to the program in any of the sessions, it can send an email to Marie Permingeat, ELARD's organizational manager: marie.permingeat@elard.eu .