10 years of “Community-Led Local Development”

Brussels discusses the participatory concept for local development of border areas in the Interreg Italy-Austria program

The CLLD approach has been a cornerstone of the Interreg Italy-Austria program since 2014. CLLD literally means “community-led local development,” meaning that citizens of the border area are closely involved in activities and decision-making processes, or initiate them. The approach promotes collaboration and the exchange of knowledge across borders and has produced numerous successful projects. Examples of small projects funded in the CLLD Terra Raetica area include measures for the protection of migratory birds, the involvement of the local population in climate change issues (“KLIMA project“), and the development of rescue devices for high mountains (“Resyst”). More information on the program’s CLLD approach is available here.

On November 21, 2024, an event took place in Brussels to mark the tenth anniversary of the CLLD approach. The event was hosted by the Representation Office of the Euregio Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino. Representatives from the partner regions of South Tyrol and Tyrol, the European Commission, project authorities, and local actors from the CLLD Terra Raetica area were present.

“The CLLD, based on trust, partnership, and effective collaboration, has proven to be one of the most successful investment priorities in the Interreg Italy-Austria program,” emphasizes Arno Kompatscher, Governor of South Tyrol. “This fits perfectly with the EU’s cohesion policy objective 5: ‘A Europe closer to citizens’.”

Magdalena Amhof, Regional Councillor for Europe, emphasized that “the CLLD territories in the Interreg Italy-Austria program have transformed over the past ten years into true territorial laboratories, demonstrating the strength of community engagement in managing local challenges.”

Anton Mattle, Governor of Tyrol, adds that “this innovative approach to cross-border governance has attracted international attention, with study visits from the European Commission and researchers from around the world, who also recognize the added value and success of this model.”

Slawomir Tokarski, Director of the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG Regio), emphasized that the CLLD conveys a message of solidarity and empathy. “It means prioritizing local knowledge to solve local problems at the local level.”

The program remains committed to continuously improving the CLLD approach and continuing its mission of promoting sustainable, community-oriented regional development in the future.