Through the next MFF, the EU must show that it remains connected to its citizens and committed to supporting communities. In particular, there must be a focus on supporting people and communities that risk being left behind economically.

The EU's primary instrument for supporting community-led local development is the LEADER Programme, which has proven across a period of more than 30 years to be a highly effective way of giving communities the tools to take ownership of their own development. The bottom-up methodology of LEADER has also been shown to deliver important secondary benefits, such as building social capital and social cohesion within communities, and bringing Europe closer to its citizens.

With this in mind, we make the following recommendations:

- Overall funding for LEADER/CLLD to be increased within the next MFF.

- Mandatory earmarking of funds for LEADER/CLLD to be continued and expanded. If LEADER/CLLD is to remain within EAFRD, we recommend that Member States be required to (i) allocate a minimum portion of 10 per cent of EAFRD Pillar II funding to LEADER/CLLD and (ii) at least match this allocation through national co-funding.

- Access to LEADER funding for beneficiaries be simplified.

- LEADER methodology (bottom-up, participative development) to be mainstreamed across other EU funds, with a view to strengthening supports for urban areas and other areas not currently covered by LEADER.