Environmental services project. Supporting Development of Local Action Groups in Albania (LEADER Approach), Final Workshop Report
- 29-Oct-2019
- ESP Albania
Description
The final workshop of the LEADER project took
place on the 9 August, 2019, at the Hotel Grand, in Tirana with the participation of 20
participants.
The Purpose of the meeting was sharing outputs and best practices under the project “Supporting Development of Local Action Groups in Albania”.
After the description of the project by the Europartners Development team, three representatives of the LAGs, Selim Lisha from LAG Pashtriku in Has, Astrit Hyseni from LAG Puka in Puka and Dhimiter Pina as the local coordinator of LAG Kolonja e Gjelber made their presentations on the LAG establishment, activities and challenges faced.
The National LAGs Coordinator/LEADER
Approach, Ms. Adisa Bala made the presentation of the LEADER grants component
and its operations. Two community representatives from each LAG presented their
projects to be implemented through the LEADER grants scheme.
LAG “Pashtriku”- HAS MUNICIPALITY
1. LEADER Grant No.1-Project “Improvement of touristic alpine
infrastructure and environmental education”
Grant Beneficiary: “Association for Environmental
Protection and Tourism Development”
Priority as per LAG’s Strategy:
Economic Development and Tourism. Improvement of alpine infrastructure.
Grant amount: (circa 3 million lekë),
Description of project: Project aims at development of
Has area as an area with good touristic potentials. Building of paths, their
marking and other touristic signals will bring about the increasing of local
and foreign visitors, and also will encourage local inhabitants to better
develop and improve accommodation conditions in their guesthouses, will improve
provision of local products, will increase the service quality related to their
visitors. Another expected positive impact related to completion of investment,
will be the creation of joint touristic packages Has-Tropojë. The applicant
should take into consideration the successful models of touristic signalling
and marking of other areas in the northern part of Albania.
2. LEADER Grant No.4- Project “Construction KUZ”
Grant Beneficiary: Has Municipality.
Priority as per LAG’s Strategy: Preservation of Forests and
Environment. Waste and sewage treatment.
Grant amount: (circa 2.3 million lekë),
Description of project: Project intends to intervene
for the rehabilitation of general urban management namely addressing the
elimination of a septic hole from the inhabited area of Krume town. Project satisfies the necessary technical
requirements and its implementation represents an utmost urgency for the
inhabitants of Krume, who are direct beneficiaries from such intervention.
LAG
‘Green Kolonja”- KOLONJA Municipality
1. LEADER Grant No. 1-Project “Kolonja, a touristic attraction”
Grant
Beneficiary: Foundation “Agrinas”, Erseke.
Priority
as per LAG’s Strategy: Economic Development and Tourism. Promotion of
Agro tourism together with mountain and family tourism. Protection and promotion
of natural assets as well as cultural and historical heritage.
Grant
amount: (circa 3.3 million lekë),
Description
of project: Project addresses the need to further develop an area
which is considered to have great potentials for tourism development in Kolonja
region. Promotion through promotional material, organization of local fair with
local products, training of staff employed by tourism related businesses,
cooperation with local bodies active in the region, etc, represent some of the
expected positive effects for the area to be generated by this project’s
implementation. Project intends to establish Local Tourism Committee. Projects
is to cooperate with the Regional Tourism Committee which operates in Korca
region aiming at a better coordination of efforts and definition and facing of
common challenges in the area. The preparation of the Action Plan foreseen by
the project will be based upon the approved strategy approved on tourism
development for 2019-2023.
2. LEADER Grant No. 3 - Project “Improvement of forests and pastures”
Grant
Beneficiary: Shoqata e Përdoruesve të Pyjeve dhe Kullotave
“Gjelbërimi” Mollas.
Priority
as per LAG’s Strategy: Protection of Forests and Environment. Forest
management. Preservation of environment.
Grant
amount: (circa 3.3 million lekë).
Description of project: Project aims at improvement of pasturing surfaces and intends to influence the increase of pasture capacities, improvement of pasture qualities as well as increasing the production of animal products; this is expected to impact positively the life quality of local inhabitants but also development of local agrotourism. With regard to technical documentation, technical requirements are duly fulfilled.
As
the closing note EPD shared the few key points for the future of LEADER/CLLD in
Albania
Recommendations
for the LEADER implementing agencies:
- Funding is the stability factor for the LAG’s existence.
- Need to consolidate further the LAGs into the National rural development polices.
- Need to keep a moderate role of municipalities in the framework of LEADER.
- Need to facilitate bureaucratic and administrative burden at the local level for a better functioning of pilot LAGs.
- Need for institutionalising a LAGs National network. After registration as an Albanian Non-profit organisation, the LAGs are eligible to all kind of funds at the national and also regional level.
- Need to include the LAGs into the EU networks.
Recommendations for the LAGs
- Further use of social capital built in the frame of LAG’s capacity building activities (use of Rural Development Specialists and Community Animators)
- LAGs to play a greater role and become a factor in the frame of planning and implementation of development programmes in their relevant areas.
- Identification of funding alternatives during the initial stage of their existence.
- Promotion of success stories of pilot LAGs along with their specific features.
- Facilitation at local level of bureaucratic and administrative burden for a better functioning of pilot LAGs.
- Gender balance is a cross cutting approach.
Some of the key points for
success of the LAG as a local ‘change agent’, drawn be the LAG practitioners in the EU, shared with
the participants included:
- be accessible, available and flexible, have ambition
and committed to making a difference,
- possess knowledge of the territory and have broad
range of relevant experience, skills and knowledge, have experience in
sustainable territorial development,
- achieve representativeness and influence in different
sectors of the local community, be able to communicate the LAG’s and LDS
objectives,
- create the sense of a team – be a team player, keep
the balance between men and women, young and elder,
- be politically neutral, open minded, curious and have
a holistic vision,
- be an agent of participative dialogue and exchange of
ideas employing ability to cooperate with others,
- possess technical experience to support project
development and knowledge of relevant regulations and legislation,
administrative capacity to manage public funds,
- have strong communication skills: capacity to listen
and understand, patience and objectiveness, negotiation skills and leadership,
- be able to work in a bottom-up approach: team working,
networking, imagination for new solutions, ability to motivate others.
-
Region:
