LEADER initiative boosted by increase in funds

The parliamentary secretary for EU funds, Ian Borg, announced today that the funds for the LEADER Programme will be increased by €2.8 million from €4 million to €6.8 million for the period 2014 to 2020.

The LEADER initiative, launched in the nineties, aims to improve the development potential of rural areas and focuses on bringing together the different public and private local actors.

Malta, was allocated around €3.8 million from the Rural Development Programme for the period 2007 - 2013.

The LEADER approach is based on the role of Local Action Groups (LAGs), a public-private partnership composed by representatives of the Local Administration and the private sector. The Local Action Group is in charge of coordinating the design of the local development strategy as well as its implementation.

When LEADER was implemented in Malta, three Local Action Groups had been created to cover the wide majority of the rural area of the country, with these being the Gozo Action Group, the Majjistral Action Group, and the Xlokk Action Group.

These groups are formed by representatives of the public sector such as Local Councils and other Government entities as well as representatives of social economic partners and other civil society organisations.

Borg, speaking at a conference entitled 'A Partnership for Creative Governance', said that it was now crucial for local councils and NGOs to stake their claim and benefit from these funds.

Whilst praising local councils for managing to work with very limited resources, Borg said that it was in the interest of local councils to become 'proactive'.

"It is up to the local councils now to be more proactive and claim these funds so as to be able to use them for reinvestment purposes in their localities," the former local councilor said.

Meanwhile, Jose' Herrera, parliamentary secretary for local government, said that it was through the implementation of initiatives such as these that Maltese local councils can show their strength and efficiency.