• The objective of the conference was to support and facilitate the development of the "Participatory Local Development Strategies" (EDLP) for the period 2023-2027 for all Local Action Groups (GAL) in the state territory within the framework of the new CAP Strategic Plan (PEPAC).
• The new EDLPs must be submitted no later than August 31 of this year.

On January 1, 2023, the Strategic Plan for the new CAP 2023-2027 (PEPAC) entered into force in Spain, following its approval by the European Commission. Among its many new features, the LEADER approach is now included within the scope of cooperation intervention , in Article 77 of the PEPAC Regulation . Several autonomous communities have currently launched calls for proposals to submit Participatory Local Development Strategies (PLDS). However, others are still awaiting publication. In all cases, the deadline for submitting these strategies is August 31, 2023.

For this reason, the PAC Network has organized a LEADER experience exchange with the aim of supporting and facilitating the preparation of the EDLP for the period 2023-2027 for allLocal Action Groups (LAG) of the state's territory. To this end, examples of how EDLPs were developed were presented to serve as an example for the participants. Resources and practical tools for the administrative processes of the LEADER approach were also provided, and working groups were organized to exchange experiences.

A new, more ambitious LEADER

Some of the speakers emphasized that what distinguishes the LEADER approach is its territorial revitalization component, which is not static but evolves over time. Therefore, those present were asked to develop new, ambitious Participatory Local Development Strategies (PLDS).

By ambitious, we mean that they must go beyond a purely territorial LEADER approach and focus primarily on cooperation . Thus, some of the key points emerging for the development of the new EDLPs are:

• Increase local and citizen participation
• That stand out for being:

1. Concise
2. Global
3. Ambitious

• Possess fund management skills
• Include sustainability in its 3 forms:

1. Technique
2. Environmental
3. Economic

• Attend to repopulation, that is, search for and establish new settlers
• Attend to the communication – not just promotion – of your results

Issues of greatest interest

At the end of the day, attendees had the opportunity to express their most interesting topics for future LEADER experience exchanges. Among the topics discussed were cooperation, climate change, generational renewal, participation, youth, and housing.

This LEADER experience sharing event can be viewed in full on the PAC Network's YouTube channel. All the resulting documentation can be found at the following link . It has also been shared under the hashtag #EDLP2327 on all PAC Network social media channels .