Regional development

LEADER is a funding strategy of the European Union to mobilise and implement development in rural communities. The essential basis is the commitment of the regions, their political decision-makers and their social groups. Public-private partnerships develop initiatives on their own responsibility, identify strengths and weaknesses, formulate goals, determine development strategies and set them out in regional development concepts (RDPs).

The overall objectives are:

a) Facilitate diversification, small business creation and development and job creation,

b) Promotion of local development in rural areas,

On this basis, the following individual goals were formulated for Hesse:

• actively shape demographic change and promote social innovation,
• Identify and meet educational needs,
• develop and implement adapted models of primary care,
• Develop and implement models for maintaining and developing a needs-based supply infrastructure,
• Adaptation and further development of the building and settlement structure,
• Promote energy efficiency and the use of renewable energies,
• utilise economic potential for the domestic economy - create and secure jobs for women and men,
• Intensification of cooperation in trade, crafts and commerce,
• promote new products, marketing channels and services for agriculture and forestry,
• further develop tourism infrastructures and marketing strategies and strengthen regional cooperation,
• Preservation and valorisation of the cultural and landscape heritage,
• Strengthening the common identity and the sense of WE,
• Strengthen networks, development initiatives and civic engagement.

In Waldeck-Frankenberg there are three Leader regions in the 2014-2020 funding period:

Burgwald-Ederbergland, Diemelsee-Nordwaldeck and Kellerwald-Edersee. They cover the entire area of the district.

Support measures

• Implementation of a Regional Development Concept (REK)
• Creation and development of micro-enterprises with job creation
• Establishment and development of tourism micro-enterprises in line with the strategic marketing objective of "experiencing nature and the countryside".
• Public service projects with a revenue-generating or commercial orientation
• Other investment and non-investment projects, each for the implementation of a REK
• Preparation and implementation of cooperation projects
• Regional budgets to support small, local or regional projects, e.g. for associations.
• Running costs (of the local action group)

Funding opportunities and conditions
Directive of the State of Hesse on the Promotion of Rural Development of 15.08.2019