Guidance on CLLD for local actors
Key messages
Paul Soto
Aims of the guidance
 Target:-
potential new and old partnerships (builds on 1st
guidance for MAs)
 Aims
• To encourage demand by ESF and ERDF
• To help 2600 existings partnerships adapt to a) a very different
external environment and b) the opportunities in the new Regulation
• To provide examples of how to make things simpler, faster and
safer and how to coordinate between funds.
 Not
legally binding but has the weight of 4 DGs. A practical
manual.
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Content of the guidance
1.
Why CLLD?
2.
How to launch CLLD in 8 basic steps?
3.
How to support CLLD partnerships respond to the new
challenges
4.
Why and how to carry out CLLD in cities?
5.
Why and how to carry out CLLD for social inclusion?
6.
How to coordinate with other funds?
7.
How to make CLLD safer, faster and easier for LAGs?
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Why CLLD
COST AND
RISK OF
DELEGATION
ADDED VALUE
OF CLLD
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Seven reasons (derived mainly from A32)
1.

CLLD puts people facing a challenge in the driving seat
It is the only EU wide programme where strategies
designed and projects selected by local people

No one partner controls (49% rule). Strengthened role for
private and civil society (at least 50% votes)
2-7.But this has to lead to clear results at local level.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Responding to diversity
More flexibility
Builds linkages and levers
Results in change and innovation
Networking and coordination (support but no straight-jackets)
Financially attrractive (long term + 25% animation +10%
confinance
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How to launch CLLD in 8 basic steps
1.
Decide what you want to
change (S)
2.
Build alliances to help that
change (P)
3.
Define appropriate
boundaries (A)
4.
Prepare a strategy based on
local needs (S)
5.
Agree on partnership
structure and roles (P)
6.
Adjust boundaries (A)
7.
Prepare an action plan and
funding application (S)
8.
Create a system for periodic
review, evaluation and
refreshing (S)
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Key challenge – finding right the balance
Centralisation
More focus
Concentration
Narrow scope
and eligibility
Demarcation
Broad scope and
eligibility
Speed/flexibility/results
V
Accountability/responsibility
Delegation
Responding to local needs
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Balancing top down and bottom up
What is the role of
CLLD in achieving
strategic objectives?
What types of
strategies,
partnerships and
áreas (criteria)
What do you want to
achieve/change at
local level?
Who are the best
allies?
Over which area?
(boundaries)
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New challenges since 2007.
 Continuing
challenges of globalisation, aging, migration,
environmental sustainability, growing inequality…
 Crisis
means some EU 2020 targets are further away (jobs need 16m increase in employment + 30m reduction in
poverty, one third increase in R+D.....)
 Europe
has started to diverge. Greater need for tailor made
responses.
 Citizens
are responding in different ways and CLLD needs
to adapt with speed and flexibility to local needs.
 Commission
is trying to strengthen certain elements of
CLLD which can help it do this.
 By
strengthening a) the strategies (A33) and b) the
partnerships (A34)
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Focus on what you want to change or achieve.

Court of Auditors: “Local strategies should be at the heart of the LEADER
aproach”….but many stategies “serve as little more than an application to the
MA for funding”… “objectives are not specific, measurable or achievable
within a set time frame”.

Common Provisions Regulation (A33.1):
“A CLLD strategy shall contain at least the
following elements…c)a hierarchy of objectives,
including measurable targets for outputs or
results”

A hierarchy of objectives. Not a wish list.
Priorities + targets agreed with the community on
where CLLD can have máximum impact

SMART objectives. Not general principles: fishermen trained, quality
schemes established, jobs created for fishing famililies, pescatourism visitors

Action plan + financial plan

But how to be focussed and flexible? How to respond to risk and change?
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Building learning into implementation
Provisions Regulation (A33.1): “A CLLD strategy
shall contain at least the following elements…d) a description of
the management and monitoring arrangements of the
strategy….and a description of the specific arrangements for
evaluation.”
 Common
 Include
a plan for monitoring and
evaluation in the strategy
 Not
as an extra administrative burden
 But
as a procedure for the FLAG to learn from what is
working and not working and responding to changing
circumstances. Incorporate this flexibility.
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Other measures to improve strategies.
with programmes – but flexibility + broad scope
within monofund programmes
 Coherence
 Strengthen
community involvement (evidence at all stages)
of areas – top down frameworks – bottom up
boundaries. 10-150,000
 Definition
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The Commission aims to strengthen local
partnerships
 Minimum
tasks of FLAG – clarify level of delegation
• Preparing and publishing calls for proposals
• Selecting operations and fixing the amount of support
 Reinforce
role of private sector and civil society (49% and
50% rules)
 Streamlined
cooperation procedures (preferrably local if
not continous or very regular)
 Strengthen
capacity building and project development
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Stronger animation and capacity building.
 The
EC: FLAGs are not just decentralised offices for delivering
funds decided elsewhere. The added value comes from
animating and developing better quality local projects.
 CPR
A34.3: “The tasks of the
local action groups shall include:
a) building the capacity of local
actors to develop and implement
operations including their project
management capabilities”
 CPR
A35.1.“Support from the ESI funds concerned for CLLD shall
cover: a) the costs of preparatory support consisting of capacity
building, training, and networking…
 CPR
A.35.2 . 25% for running costs and animation. Ensure
total budget is sufficient. If not piggy back.
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Developing higher quality projects
Support at different stages of the project cycle eg:
 Ideas
identification and animation
 Assembling
or bringing together
stakeholders with different interests
engineering – markets,
economic and financial viability
technology, human resources…
 Project
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Why and how to carry out CLLD in cities and
for social inclusion
 Inspirational
examples with some elements of CLLD but not
necessarily all
 To
extend to cities and social inclusion – need to adapt:
• Strategies – build integration from a specific entry point
• Areas – to the distribution of the problema you are trying solve
• Partnerships – to ensure have relevant allies.
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Cooperation between funds
 It
is a means to achieve results not an end in itself
 It
is obligatory with or without multifunding
 Needs
 Less
to take place at all levels EU, national, regional, local
coordination at one level means more at another
 Commission
has set the framework but the mechanics are
are left for national/regional levels
 If
this is not done well – complexity can drown local groups
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Conditions for multifunding
 Agreement
between funds over the types of areas and
projects
 Common criteria for the lead fund
 Common calls for preparatory support and the final
selection of areas and strategies
 Common criteria and procedures for the selection of areas,
strategies and partnerships
 Agreed criteria for the selection of projects
 Agreement over the role and function of the groups and
Mas
 Separate but coordinated plans for monitoring and
evaluation
Difficult without a common intermediate body
A bad solution for a reduction in funding.
Beware of demarcation.
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Programming and implementing
multi-funded LDS
Partnership Contract
ESF national/
regional
programme(s)
ERDF national/
regional
programme(s)
EAFRD national/
regional
programme(s)
Indicative allocation
for CLLD
Joint Selection committee
Multi-funded LDS
EMFF national
programme(s)
Programming and implementing
mono-funded LDS
Partnership Contract
ESF national/
regional
programme(s)
ERDF national/
regional
programme(s)
EAFRD national/
regional
programme(s)
EMFF national
programme(s)
Indicative allocation
for CLLD
Selection
committee
LDS
Selection
CONSISTENCY
committee
LDS
AND
Selection
COORDINATION
committee
LEADER
Selection
committee
FLAGs
Making CLLD safer, faster and easier for local
action groups
 Improving
•
•
•
•
access to finance at local level
up front cofinancing,
interim and staged payments,
Prefinancing using advance payment
Speedy decision making – avoiding duplication
 Reducing
administrative burden through small project and
umbrella schemes
 Clarifying
issues around eligibility
• Transparency
• Common understanding – what is not eligible.
• Specific issues (VAT, bank guarantees, in-kind contributions)
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Making CLLD safer, faster and easier for LAGs
 Using
simplified costs
• standard scales of unit costs
• Lump sums
• Flat rate financing
 Audit
and control
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Thank you for your attention!
CLLD Guidance on CLLD for Local Actors
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/information/guidelines/index_en.cfm#4
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