CLLD: a model for citizen participation
- Highlights
The Interreg Italy-Austria cooperation programme has been selected by the IURC (International Urban and Regional Cooperation), an initiative of the European Union, as an example for the IURC 2025–2027 cycle.
As a result, the programme is taking on an active role in global cooperation and exporting its know-how in sustainable regional development far beyond European borders.
The decisive factor was the programme’s more than ten years of expertise in the field of CLLD (Community-led Local Development). Interreg Italy-Austria is considered a European pioneer for this participatory model, in which citizens and local actors are directly involved in decision-making processes – an approach that has proven particularly effective in peripheral and mountain areas for strengthening territorial cohesion. This successful “bottom-up” development model is now to be shared and disseminated internationally via the IURC network.
The IURC programme connects over 130 cities and 50 regions in Europe, Asia, Australasia, as well as North and Latin America, to forge strategic partnerships between administration, business, and civil society. For Interreg Italy-Austria, participation means bringing its own competencies into a global context while simultaneously learning from leading regions worldwide. The focus of the thematic networking is on exchanging ideas regarding pressing future issues: together with international partners, innovative solutions are being developed in the areas of regional innovation, sustainable mobility, energy transition, and the circular economy. Cooperation with regions in Latin America opens up new perspectives here.
A first key event for this ambitious collaboration has already taken place: under the title “Driving Innovation and Sustainability”, the programme presented itself at the IURC Global Thematic Networking Event as part of the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona. The foundation for future cooperation was laid there in order to create more resilient and sustainable living spaces together.
