ELARD
2,500 local action groups in 26 countries form the European Leader Association for Rural Development together.
European cooperation
Membership in Local Development Sweden also means membership in the European Leader Association for Rural Development (ELARD). The purpose of ELARD is to support rural development using the leader method and facilitate networking and collaboration through transnational projects. ELARD also supports newly formed rural networks in the EU's new member states.
ELARD was founded in Belgium in 1999 by the national associations for Leader from the countries France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, and Spain. ELARD currently brings together nearly 2,500 local action groups from 26 countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, North Macedonia, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
