The Agriculture and Rural Development Directorate has Published last 19 may 2009 a call for tender for the Leader + 'Ex post' evaluation

LEADER+ was one of the four Community Initiatives co-financed by the EU structural funds for the programming period 2000-2006. LEADER+ represented the third phase of the LEADER programme and was preceded by LEADER I (1991-1994) and LEADER II (1995-1999). LEADER I marked the beginning of a new approach to rural development policy, which was territorially based, integrated and participative, and LEADER II saw the LEADER I approach put to more widespread use, with an emphasis on the delivery of innovative projects.

In the broader context of the EU policy for rural development, LEADER+ programmes were expected to complement other rural development programmes by promoting integrated schemes conceived and implemented by active partnerships operative at the local level. A new programme for Agriculture The Rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development - EAFRD is available for the new period 2007-2013. In this respect, LEADER+ continued its role of laboratory aiming at encouraging the emergence and testing of new approaches to integrated and sustainable development in view of reinforcing the rural development policy in the Community.

The 'Ex post' evaluation will include:

• Analysing the effectiveness.
• Analysing the Efficiency.
• Relevance related to Leader+.

The budget for this tender will be around between 400,000 to 500,000 EUR and offers must be submitted before 14.8.2009.

More information about the tender

Sr. Leo Maier
rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 130, oficina: L-130 8/29
B 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel
Tel. +32 22998195
faxFax +32 22964267
E-mail: agri-evaluation@ec.europa.eu