The policy, utility, and benefits of the leader program were discussed on the second day of the 9th Conference on Regional Development with guests the Deputy Minister of Rural Development Giannis Oikonomou and representatives of the Local Government and the program.
On the occasion of the thirty years of Leader’s presence, G. Economou characterized it as a program that can lead to the rebirth of the Greek countryside. The point, as he stressed, is that people do not leave the villages and by utilizing the tools we have, we will win the bet as long as we reduce the bureaucracy and have the right information.
The Mayor of Kalavrita, Athanasios Papadopoulos described the Leader program as an incentive to stop the migration from rural areas, while Iro Tsimpri, General Manager of ACHAIA-ANAPTYXIAKI SA, focused on the recognition of the program and the important concept of cooperation necessary for its effectiveness.
Mr. Michalis Skordas, President of the Hellenic Network Leader / CLLD Network continued along the same lines stressing that the policy of the program is to trust local communities, Marion Eckardt President of the European Leader Accociation for Rulal Development, while George Mathioudakis, coordinator of Rural Development Policy at the EU Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, closed the speech by describing the success story program of rural development.
The Leader program changed local communities
Mr. Oikonomou, after thanking him for his participation in the institution, expressed his pleasure since the discussion coincided with the 30 years of implementation of the Leader program. A program, as Mr. Economou characteristically said, that changed local communities. “The Leader program has put its stamp of development on peripheral Greece, keeping local communities alive and creating conditions for growth. She added that more than 10,000 people and businesses have grown in recent years because of the program.
He clarified that the main feature of the Leader program is that it does not see the primary sector as fragmented but as a single value chain. “This is the secret if you want to have an agricultural policy with continuity and not chase after funding, to create a chain where each link will support the previous one and strengthen the next. This is exactly what Leader does by strengthening the primary sector with tourism, manufacturing, standardizatio,n and culture, replacing desolate images and creating attractive poles for people to work, live in, and visit.”
“What needs to be highlighted is that there are ways to boost income through activities that will add more value to both the land and the society in which one lives and works,” he said, adding that the goal is a living countryside against the accumulation of people in large urban centers and Leader promotes balanced and equitable development “.
In conclusion, Mr. Economou explained the three directions that the new invitation should follow in view of the new programming period, in order to win the wager.
a) Less bureaucracy and modernization of information systems, so that there are as few intermediate stages as possible, causing delays,
b) More information on the possibilities, opportunities and existing tools and
c) New topics cultivating the culture of cooperation.
“Leader must fund synergies in the next period. That which is also sugnified by its first letter L, liaison. Cultivate links between small local businesses and people with innovative ideas. To create critical sizes that will be sustainable and will make a difference “, stressed Mr. Oikonomou at the end of his talk.
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