The starting point of the EDORA project was the recognition that, rather than becoming more uniform in character, rural Europe is, in many ways, becoming increasingly diverse, implying new challenges and opportunities. The project’s overarching aim was to examine the process of...

Since the on-going funding period 2007-2013 the former European Community Initiative Leader has become a constituent part of Rural Development Policies. Above all the mainstreaming of Leader into the Rural Development Programme (RDP) as axis 4 has both significantly changed the level of funding...

Although there are steps in the direction that the application of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) instruments in different regions has to take account of the territorial dimension, these have to be further improved. This aspect attains particular relevance in ecologically sensitive areas. The...