10 de March de 2026
Innovación
Resiliencia y competitividad
The PAC Network has organized the “LEADER Cooperation Experience Exchange” day in Segovia
- The PAC Network has organized the “LEADER Cooperation Experience Exchange” day in Segovia
- The aim was to encourage new Local Action Groups to join existing inter-territorial and transnational cooperation projects.
- The event has brought together more than 250 LEADER actors, mainly Local Action Groups, from more than 13 Member States
LEADER cooperation has been consolidated in the new CAP as a key tool for addressing shared challenges among rural areas: the climate transition, digitalization, gender equality, generational renewal, and the improvement of local value chains. Within this framework, the CAP Network held the "LEADER Cooperation Experience Exchange" event at the Royal Site of San Ildefonso (Segovia) from March 3-4, bringing together more than 250 LEADER stakeholders to strengthen alliances, promote new initiatives, and help Local Action Groups ( LAGs ) find reliable partners, tools, and methodologies to advance inter-territorial and transnational cooperation projects.
With 142 in-person attendees and 557 online participants (188 views in English and 369 in Spanish), the event was notable for its strong European character, with the physical presence of representatives from 13 Member States, including Portugal, Italy, Romania, Belgium, Greece, and Estonia.
Objectives of the day: to add groups
The PAC Network designed this meeting with five essential purposes:
Incorporate new LAGs into existing cooperation projects, promoting consortia open to Spanish and European participants.
To develop new ideas for cooperation and transform them into solid proposals, with realistic timelines and a results-oriented approach.
Connecting teams and facilitating useful contacts, through a cooperation Agora designed to turn exchange into preliminary agreements.
Improve technical skills in the use of European tools.
To make visible the support of the CAP Network to the territories through its Territorial Antennas , viewers , good practices and specific resources.
Program
The program began with a presentation of the CAP Network's national framework for supporting LEADER cooperation, including available viewers and resources, the identification of best practices, and the work of its nine Territorial Offices . The main session also included a review of proven experiences within and outside of Spain, focusing on the added value of LEADER.
The day continued with a practical overview of the cooperation tools provided by the European CAP Network , such as the LAG Directory and the LEADER Cooperation Offers (a directory of contacts for all LAGs in the European Union and a channel for partner offers and searches), and the operational guide for transnational cooperation. The goal: for each LAG to leave the meeting with at least two valuable contacts and a preliminary roadmap for its next project.
Subsequently, experts from Bulgaria and the Czech Republic shared the perspective of other Member States: deadlines, methodologies, thematic priorities and replicable working models.
In the afternoon, the LEADER Cooperation Agora transformed the exchange into action through rapid networking sessions, thematic roundtables, and working groups focused on generating agreements and defining next steps. The day was complemented by a showcase. of materials and a field visit planned for the following day, intended to observe on the ground examples of transferable projects.
The LEADER projects visited included Living Museums , an innovative cooperation project that incorporates digital access and audio-guided systems in ethnographic museums, interpretation centers, and rural cultural spaces. The day included visits to the La Última Escuela Pedagogical Museum and the Otones de Benjumea Ethnographic Museum .
In addition, we learned about rural entrepreneurship projects supported by LEADER funds, such as Amapola Cosmética and Jamones y Embutidos Los Joaquines .
LEADER in Spain
Spain has one of the largest LEADER networks in the European Union, comprising 253 Local Action Groups in some 7,000 municipalities. This territorial reach reflects the grassroots and participatory nature of LEADER in our country.
In the period 2023–2027, Spain has committed more than 540 million euros to the work of the LAGs, more than doubling the minimums required by European regulations and reinforcing an ambitious approach based on the seven LEADER principles: bottom-up approach, territorial strategies, public-private partnership, multi-sectoral character, innovation, cooperation and networks.
Results
With high participation and a strong constructive spirit, the meeting has contributed to generating three key results:
Facilitate the joining of new LAGs to interterritorial and transnational cooperation projects.
To mature ideas that can become solid proposals during 2026–2027.
Strengthen capacities to design, execute and evaluate projects aligned with PEPAC and LEADER principles.
The CAP Network thus reaffirms its commitment to cooperation as a strategic lever to transform rural territories, simplify processes, connect actors and support LAGs towards projects with real impact.
The event was broadcast live on the PAC Network's YouTube channel and is available in both English and Spanish.
Similarly, the PAC Network produced videos and interviews with some of the key figures of the event, who shared their projects through the PAC Network's communication channels .