The LEADER Approach stands for area-based, bottom-up and multi-sectoral local rural development.
The approach is based on autonomous public-private partnerships at the local level for designing and implementing their very own, unique development strategies. The guiding principles of the LEADER Approach proved to be success-factors for self-determined community-led local/rural
development, not only in the European Union but also more broadly.
Southeast European countries realized the importance of the LEADER Approach in unlocking the potential of rural regions and are currently at different stages of the preparation process for its implementation.
