Priority 4

CLLD Regional development at the local level

A different approach

What is CLLD?

The fourth priority differs from the others, particularly in the type of participatory approach. CLLD stands for “Community-Led Local Development” and translates to a “bottom-up” approach to local development that involves citizens at the forefront of the management of activities and decision-making processes.

In this way, participatory democracy is strengthened and peripheral communities become the centerpiece and source of initiatives to enhance the border area.

Interreg V Italy-Austria was a pioneer in experimenting with this type of approach in the 2014-2020 period as it was the only program in Europe to make it a priority. Having proven its effectiveness, it was therefore selected for the seven-year period 2021-2027 to follow it through.

Through CLLD, small-scale (up to 50,000 euros) and medium-scale (up to 200,000 euros) projects are financed that fit within the framework of four cross-border development strategies traced back to four selected areas (see below: CLLD territories). This allows for much more targeted interventions capable of responding to the needs of local populations. In the 2014-2020 programming period, about 200 CLLD projects with a total value of about €11,2 million were funded.

Strategy Information

Calls for Projects in the CLLD Areas

Open calls for project submissions and up-to-date information on strategies, projects, and results are published on the official websites of the four cross-border strategies.

Visit the respective web pages to learn more about ongoing initiatives, upcoming deadlines, and local development priorities:

Terra Raetica Wipptal Dolomiti Live HEurOpen

Priority 4 Interreg Italy Austria CLLD Local Development. Group of people in a circle

@Credits by Shutterstock, Inc.

The mission of CLLD is to ensure joint dialogue to identify obstacles and bring solutions that cross borders and/or enable the development of common potentials. This has the overarching goal of strengthening integration and promoting integrated social, economic and environmental development, and cultural heritage at the local level.

CLLD territories autonomously identify their areas of intervention through the mechanism of collecting needs and proposals “from below” which is typical of this approach. CLLD territories’ priorities link directly to the priorities of the European Union, funding initiatives that respond to territorial needs that only local actors are able to define. Areas covered include tourism, culture, multilingualism, and the promotion of so-called “smart villages”.

The main beneficiaries within CLLD areas are the plurality of actors in the area who can take action on the specific issues identified by the territorial strategy: from nature associations to small businesses, from local authorities to research centers, from educational institutions to cultural associations, and so forth.