ELARD aisbl

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Informações para nos contactar, mapa e direções, formulário para nos contactar, horário de funcionamento, serviços, classificações, fotos, vídeos e anúncios de ELARD aisbl, Organização sem fins lucrativos, Avenida das Forças Armadas, n.º 40, Lisbon.

ELARD aims to support rural and regional development under the LEADER philosophy, to promote experience sharing through its members and partners and to promote networking and cooperation. ELARD brings together over 2 200 Local Action Groups established under the LEADER method and is committed to involving all stakeholders in local rural development.

14/10/2026

🗞️ Autumn updates from ELARD – October newsletter is here!

Catch up on the latest autumn updates from across rural Europe – from the future of LEADER/CLLD and European rural policy developments to inspiring project stories, ELARD Knowledge Hub activities, and upcoming events.

🌍 The newsletter is also available in multiple languages.

👉 See what’s been happening across the ELARD network: https://mailchi.mp/5de7d3743450/t3uhuptmfr-6750268

12/10/2026

⭐ The REROOTED project website is now live! Discover how rural communities can adapt to demographic change.

The Horizon Europe project REROOTED brings together researchers and rural communities to develop new solutions and opportunities for rural areas.

The new website provides information about the project, its partners and activities across Europe.

As a project partner, ELARD helps connect REROOTED with rural communities and Local Action Groups across Europe, supporting the exchange of knowledge and experiences.

🔗 Explore the website and stay updated on the project's activities and results: https://rerootedproject.eu/

11/10/2026

Two days of discussions on the future of the European Rural Parliament!

For the past two days, the Steering Group of the European Rural Parliament (ERP) has met in Spreewald, Brandenburg, just outside Berlin, to discuss how we want to organise our work and cooperation in the coming years.

We have had some really good discussions about how our organisations can share responsibilities, what each of us can contribute and, most importantly, how we can continue to strengthen the voice of rural communities at European level.

A lot of our discussions focused on how we organise and coordinate ourselves to constructively work with European advocacy, but also on local democracy and how we can support rural communities in having a stronger say in decisions that affect their lives and their future. We also spent time discussing concrete priorities, responsibilities and next steps.

From ELARD, our President Piotr Sadłocha, Council Member Goran Soster and Marion Eckardt, Executive Director and Policy Lead, participated in the meeting.

For ELARD, we see an important role in taking more responsibility for European-level advocacy within the ERP cooperation. We also want to strengthen the involvement of young people in the ERP process, together with Rural Youth Europe, and further explore how we can support local democracy and community-led development across rural Europe.

There is a lot of work ahead of us, but also many opportunities to build on what our organisations are already doing and achieve more together.

The European Rural Parliament is an important platform for bringing rural voices together, connecting local realities with European policymaking and making sure that rural communities are not only heard, but also have the opportunity to shape their own future.

Two productive days, good discussions and plenty of ideas to take forward!

07/10/2026

🔸Meet the new members of the LEADER Youth Community Steering Committee!

We are happy to introduce three new members who bring different experiences from youth work, rural and community development, communication and international cooperation, but share a common interest in strengthening the role of young people in local development.

🔹Maris Praats from Estonia brings more than 10 years of experience in the youth field, volunteering, communication and community development.

🔹Lana Chaduneli from Georgia has been involved with LEADER since the age of 17 and brings strong experience in rural development, LAG cooperation and rural youth empowerment.

🔹Maciej Wachowski from Poland brings experience in youth participation, non-formal education and international youth projects, as well as cooperation with Local Action Groups in Poland.

Together with the other Steering Committee members, they will help develop the LEADER Youth Community and create more opportunities for young people to connect, exchange experiences and take an active role in rural development.

🔗 Read more about the new members and the LEADER Youth Community on our website. Link in the comments.

02/10/2026

⚡️EC4RURAL meeting in Tartu – bringing rural energy communities closer to local level

On 22–24 September, EC4RURAL project partners met in Tartu, Estonia, for their annual meeting.

EC4RURAL promoting the clean energy transition in rural areas through energy communities. The project brings together local and regional authorities, Local Action Groups, communities and other actors to support locally led renewable energy solutions.

During the meeting, partners discussed the progress of the project, engagement and networking, training activities, communication and the development of the project pilots in Estonia and Spain.

The programme also took the partners to the Põltsamaa area, part of the Jõgevamaa Koostöökoda LAG territory, to explore local experiences. The visits included the Umbusi community initiative, Põltsamaa municipality and Põltsamaa Castle.

ELARD is a partner in the EC4RURAL project.

👉 Learn more about EC4RURAL: link in the comments.

30/09/2026

🌱 Rural development in the future EU budget: key messages from Hugo Almeida

The European Rural Pact Policy Lab “Strengthening a diversified rural economy in the post-2027 period” is currently taking place in Kotka, Finland, from 29 September to 1 October.

📺 You can also follow the Policy Lab live on YouTube. Link in the comments.

Today, Hugo Almeida from DG AGRI, European Commission, presented the latest reflections on the role of rural areas in the future National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs).

Several key messages emerged:

🔹 The proposed 10% Rural Target would ensure that a significant share of NRP resources addresses the specific needs of rural areas.

🔹 Rural development should be approached from a multi-sectoral perspective, covering entrepreneurship, digitalisation, tourism, social inclusion, services, infrastructure, agriculture, employment and the green transition.

🔹 Integrated, place-based and participatory approaches will be essential to deliver meaningful territorial development.

🔹 LEADER/CLLD has an important role as a territorial instrument capable of bringing together different policies, actors and sources of funding through local development strategies.

🔹 Monitoring and evaluation will be key. The European Commission will follow the implementation through the NRPP intervention logic, CAP recommendations and the European Semester evaluation. This should help assess whether Member States are effectively addressing the specific needs identified in rural areas.

The experience of Poland, with 190 multi-fund local development strategies, was highlighted as an example of how CLLD can contribute to integrated rural development.

For ELARD, an important question remains: how will the proposed Rural Target ultimately be defined and legally guaranteed, and what place will LEADER/CLLD have within it?

The negotiations ahead will be crucial to ensure that rural communities have not only resources, but also the territorial instruments and participatory approaches needed to shape their own development.

30/09/2026

💥Are you developing a citizen energy initiative? 💡There’s still time to apply for expert support.

The Citizen Energy Advisory Hub (CEAH) has extended the deadline for its Technical Assistance programme to 16 October 2026 at 23:59 CEST.

Selected initiatives can receive 20–40 days of tailored expert support in areas such as financial planning, technical development, legal structures, community engagement and capacity building.

As a partner in EC4RURAL - LIFE Programme, we see how important local cooperation is for developing energy communities, and how new entities need a different type of support to get started. We encourage Local Action Groups and other local organisations involved in citizen energy projects to explore this opportunity and share it with communities that could benefit. ➡️ EC4RURAL is a European project promoting the clean energy transition in rural areas through energy communities.

More information and application link in the comments.👇

29/09/2026

What is the added value of LEADER today? ✨

The transnational cooperation project Our Common Future explored this question and the evolving role of Local Action Groups in a changing Europe.

One of the key messages is clear: 🌱LEADER is more than a funding instrument. Its added value lies in connecting people and sectors, supporting participation and innovation, and linking local action with regional, national and European levels.

The project results offer different perspectives on LEADER’s added value, the role of LAGs as regional intermediaries and the importance of resilience in rural areas.

👉 Discover the project results and materials on the ELARD website. Link in the comments.

25/09/2026

🌱 LEADER Youth Community at the Youth Policy Dialogue in Ireland

On 16–17 September, Renate Menkveld represented ELARD and the LEADER Youth Community at the third EU Food & Farming Youth Policy Dialogue in Ireland, where young people from across Europe discussed the future of European agriculture with Commissioner Christophe Hansen.

An important part of the dialogue was bringing the LEADER perspective into the discussion and highlighting the role of young people and local communities in shaping the future of rural areas.

👉 Read Renate’s reflections and main takeaways from the dialogue on our website. Link in the comments.

Photos: ©European Union, 2026

18/09/2026

🇸🇪 NEXRUR in Uppsala!

NEXRUR is a four-year Horizon Europe project looking at community-led business models in rural areas: how they work, what makes them successful and how to replicate them.

On 16–17 September, we met at SLU – the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences – for the second NEXRUR consortium meeting.

Most of the time was spent in workshops, discussing what we are learning from the different NEXRUR cases, identifying topics for scientific articles and connecting the different parts of the project so that results can feed into the next steps.

For ELARD, represented by our Managing Director Marion Eckardt and Council member Goran Soster, there was a particular focus on what comes next for us.

💡 One important part is replication. ELARD will help bring experiences from the NEXRUR cases to other rural areas in Europe and work with local actors to see what can be adapted and applied in a different context. In Uppsala, we had some very useful discussions about how to prepare that work and how the ELARD network can be involved.

We also discussed the different stakeholder panels in the project, including the European Stakeholder Panel that ELARD will be responsible for, and how they can be used to bring practical experience into NEXRUR and connect the project to people outside the consortium.

There is still plenty of work ahead, but after these days in Uppsala we have a good basis for the next steps – and for ELARD, that means starting to prepare our network for the replication work ahead.

Thanks to SLU and the NEXRUR team for two productive days – and good to meet everyone again! 🌱

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Avenida Das Forças Armadas, N.º 40
Lisbon
1649-026

Website

http://www.elard.eu/

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