Leader Cooperation Awards

Cooperation projects help all parts of rural Europe to grow together. Leader cooperation is supported by Rural Development Programmes using the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. Cooperation between rural areas is an important tool for the development of these areas. Leader cooperation encourages and supports local action groups to undertake joint actions with other Local Action Groups, or with a Local Action Group taking a similar approach. Read more about Leader transnational cooperation HERE

The Nordic-Baltic Regions Rural Network Support Units - Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden
initiated the Nordic-Baltic Leader Cooperation Award.

The LEADER Transnational Cooperation Awards collected 60 applications from participating countries.The finalists of the five categories were chosen out of 60 nominees in Roskilde, Denmark on the 6th June 2013. The evaluation committee included the representatives of Estonia, Lithuanian, Latvia, Swedish, Finnish and Danish rural networks. The final selection of the winners of Nordic-Baltic Leader transnational cooperation projects was in Helsinki on 27th August on 2013.

The Awards Gala Event was held in Tallinn on 26th September 2013 and the five awards for Leader transnational cooperation projects was presented.

The finalists of the five categories:

The finalists of Youth category:

• My Fell Lapland
  
• Planet said to me
• Wind for Youth  - WINNER!
• Youth for Youth - Special prize of Estonian National Rural Unit
  

The finalists of Tourism category:

• CULTrips. Creating a New Concept for Socio-cultural Village Trips in Europ
• Mustaparta Archipelago and Tornio Valley
• Nature Tourism Project - WINNER!
• Re-creation of the Landscape / TEAM

The finalists of Culture category:

• Ecomuseum - from Memories to Future
• Handicraft - People's Choice Award!
  
• Medieval Festivals - WINNER!
• Traditions on the Market Square

The finalists of Local Area Development category:

• A la Region - Upper Tampere & Hunsruck and Rhein Valley
  
• Cross-border Entrepreneurs Blekinge / Warmia-Mazury - WINNER!
• Loving Local Values
• Villages full of Treasures

The finalists of Local Resources and Environment category:

• Bees and Biodiversity - Together to Stop Pollinating Insects Decline and Protect Biodiversity
  
• Forest Trail
  
• Growing Gastrounauts - WINNER!
• Management fishing in the Lakes Finjasjön and Bosarpasjön. The Transnational Project: Developing Methods of Management Fishery and Utilization of Haul
  
• Traditional Sailing and Maritime Heritage

More detailed information about applicants and finalists are available in database.

The aim of the competition is to:

• highlight the importance of transnational cooperation for rural development in the Nordic-Baltic countries;
• recognise and promote existing Leader transnational cooperation “success stories” involving the Nordic-Baltic countries;
• raise awareness amongst a wider audience of the interesting and diverse themes and activities which could be developed for future transnational cooperation with and between the Nordic-Baltic countries;
• acknowledge the Local Action Groups which are currently active in the Nordic-Baltic countries, and inspire these and other Local Action Groups to continue with transnational cooperation during the new programming period (2014-2020);
• reinforce the role of Leader in supporting implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.
  

General information is available HERE

Criteria for participating Leader transnational cooperation project in the competition - the Leader transnational cooperation project must involve at least one Nordic-Baltic Local Action Group as a partner and the projects have not to be totally completed. The Leader transnational cooperation project must be included in the list of Leader transnational cooperation projects that have been notified to the European Commission. This list can be viewed on the ENRD Leader Gateway website .

• European Network for Rural Development (ENRD) Leader Gateway website enrd.ec.europa.eu/leader/leader/en/transnational-cooperation_en.cfm

Award categories are youth, tourism, culture, local area development, and local resources and environment.

However if you have any further questions please contact organisers via e-mai: LeaderTNC @ maainfo.ee
the Estonian Rural Network Unit or the contact person in the Rural Network Support Unit for your country.
Contacts of all Nordic-Baltic Rural Networks are available HERE

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