LEADER LOCAL ACTION GROUP

KESKIPISTE-LEADER RY

In Finland the Leader local action group (LAG) is a registered association that develops rural areas by funding local rural development projects and granting support for enterprises. There are 56 LAGs in Finland, and their activities cover the whole country.

In the programming period 2007 – 2013, the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry was the first in the EU to approve the Leader local action groups for Mainland Finland in August 2007. The Ministry grants the annual funding for the groups, as well as monitors and evaluates their activities. The Finnish Agency for Rural Affairs, which operates under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, supervises, steers and trains the LAGs. The Rural Network Unit provides information about the activities of the LAGs, organises training and meetings and promotes the work of the groups internationally.

PARTICIPATION OPEN TO ALL

In the area of Keskipiste-Leader LAG there are 45 000 inhabitants. Any inhabitant of the area may take part in the group’s activities by carrying out a project or participating in one or becoming a member of the LAG which is a registered rural development association.

The activities of the LAG are steered by the board of the action group. The group holds two general meetings a year, one in the spring and one in the autumn. The new board members are elected in the autumn. The tripartite principle is followed in the composition of the board: one third of the board members represent the municipalities in the area, one third represent companies or corporations and on third ordinary residents who are not in the decision-making organs of the municipalities or corporations. Board members also reside evenly in the group’s area. The maximum term of office for a board member is six consecutive years.

FUNDING FOR ENTERPRISES AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

Through the LAG, it is possible to apply for funding for enterprise or for non-profit development projects. The groups mainly fund small rural enterprises and those that are starting up. Funding may be granted for the company’s investments and development and for the wage costs of the first employees.

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Development projects promote the economy of the area, develop villages and the environment, provide training and promote international activities. The LAGs themselves may also implement and co-ordinate projects.

In the programming period 2007 – 2013 the maximum amount of public funding for Leader projects is 150,000 euros per project. In 2007 – 2013 the amount of public funding available through Keskipiste-Leader LAG is 5,2 million euros.

The groups are funded from the Rural Development Programme for Mainland Finland 2007 – 2013, which is funded under the EAFRD. A fifth of the funding comes from the local municipalities of the LAG areas.

In addition, funding and work contributions for the Leader projects worth an estimated 3,5 million euros comes from entrepreneurs, associations and other organisations. The work contributions are traditionally voluntary work, for example, repairing a village hall or landscape improvement work.

The name LEADER comes from the French words Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de l´Économie Rurale and means an extensive rural development. EU financing is directed through LEADER into maintaining vitality and attractiveness in the rural areas by creating jobs and industrial opportunities.