Local Action Groups and Regional Network of Catalonia LEADER PROGRAM 2007 - 2013 1 Associació d’Iniciatives Rurals de Catalunya Xarxa Regional dels Grups d’Acció Local de Catalunya T +34 973 48 17 52 F+34 973 48 11 34 C/ Pujada del Seminari s/n 25280 Solsona (Lleida) www.arca‐dr.cat © Copyright ARCA 2010 www.arca‐dr.cat ‐ All Rights Reserved Images are the property of Local Action Groups – All Rights Reserved Local Action Groups and Regional Network of Catalonia 1. Programme of the rural development of Catalonia 2007 – 2013 2 2. Associació d’Iniciatives Rurals de Catalunya (ARCA) 3. Local Action Groups of Catalonia 1. PROGRAMME OF THE RURAL DEVELOPMENT OF CATALONIA, 2007-2013 Catalonia is a European country set in the western Mediterranean which is a “comunitat autònoma” of Spain. It is situated in the north‐east coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It borders on Andorra and France to the north, to the west with the “comunitat autònoma” of Aragon, to the south with the “comunitat autònoma” of País Valencià and to the east with the Mediterranean Sea. It has a population estimated at 7 504 881 inhabitants in 2010. Catalonia is the second most populated “comunitat autònoma” in Spain. It has got an approximate area of 32,000 squared kilometres and a great geographical diversity taking into account the relatively small area of its territory. Its geography is determined by the Mediterranean coast which has got 580 kilometres and the great land of the Pyrenees in the north. 3 The 62% of the Catalan territory is a rural zone where the 10% of the inhabitants of Catalonia live. This numbers tell us why having an own Programa de Desenvolupament Rural for Catalonia is important. For the period 2007‐2013 it is structured in three main topics and a fourth methodological topic. PDR Catalonia 2007‐2013, with a programmed budget of 1 016 719 570 euros: ‐ Topic 1: Increase of the competitiveness in the forest and agricultural sector. ‐ Topic 2: Improvement of the environment and its rural environment. ‐ Topic 3: Quality of life in the rural areas and diversification of the rural economy. ‐ Topic 4: Application of the Leader methodology. To be able to put into practice the Leader methodology 13 Grups d’Acció Local (GAL) have been chosen with their local strategies that represent the 66% of the territory of Catalonia, with the 8% of the total population, the 51’8% of the Catalan municipalities and an average density of the Leader zone of 27 inhabitants per km2. The 13 local strategies are mainly based in some measures aimed at the economical development and the quality of life in the rural zones. They include, as a highlighted and new value in the Leader programme, the application of the Responsabilitat Social i Empresarial through the application of a sustainable code of management specified in economical acts of advice, environment and social responsibility for the companies which are benefited by the Leader help. Topic 4: Application of the Leader methodology The total of the public programmed expenses: 106.446.374 € Programmed public Measures and actions Intensity of the help 4 expenses 41. Application of local strategies 12301. Help for investments for the To 40% of the improvement of the investment if they are transformation and 22.000.000 PIMES commercialization of the To 20% for the rest agricultural products in the Leader territory. 312. Help for the creation To 40% of the and development of micro 30.000.000 investment companies 313. Promotion of tourist To 40% of the 25.000.000 activities investment 323. Conservation and To 80% of the improvement of the rural 10.000.000 investment heritage 421. Interterritorial and To the 100% of the transnational 6.776.767 cooperation between the expenses of the project GAL and Catalonia 431. How the GAL works, To 15% of the total acquisition of capacities assigned public 12.669.607 and promotion of the expenses territory 2. ASSOCIACIÓ D’INICIATIVES RURALS DE CATALUNYA (ARCA) ARCA is a net that includes the 13 Grups d’Acció Local de Catalunya (GAL). It was born in January 2010 to support the Grups d’Acció Local, in the Departament d’Agricultura, Alimentació i Acció Rural (the authority for the management of the Leader Programme) and to be an official negotiator for the whole territory and agents involved in a sustainable rural development. ARCA structures its actuation in 4 topics: the technical service to support the GAL groups; the communication and the spreading of projects, good practice and methodology; the representation and presence of the Catalan net in other organizations and institutions and the participation in projects of rural development of regional interest. 5 ARCA has the aim to be the referent association for the rural development in Catalonia for the GAL groups, giving them the needed support; for the media, including all the information connected with the rural environment in the media; and for other institutions, having the role of representing the GAL groups in front all the other national and international nets. 6 3. LOCAL ACTION GROUPS OF CATALONIA • Associació pel Desenvolupament de la Catalunya Central • Consorci Intercomarcal d’Iniciatives Socioeconòmiques • Associació per al Desenvolupament Rural Integral de la Zona nord – oriental de Catalunya • Consorci de Desenvolupament Alt Camp, Conca de Barberà i Anoia • Consorci GAL Alt Urgell – Cerdanya • Consorci per al Desenvolupament del Baix Ebre i Montsià • Consorci per al Desenvolupament de la Catalunya 7 Central • Consorci Leader Urgell – Pla d’Urgell • Consorci Garrigues per al Desenvolupament del Territori • Consorci Grup d’Acció Local Noguera – Segrià Nord • Consorci Centre de Desenvolupament Rural Pallars – Ribagorça • Consorci Leader Priorat – Baix Camp • Associació per la Gestió del Programa Leader Ripollès Ges Bisaura ASSOCIACIÓ PEL DESENVOLUPAMENT RURAL DE LA CATALUNYA CENTRAL Area: 2.010,10 km2 Population: 64.317 population Average population density: 32 hab./ km2 Districts and municipalities: El Berguedà: Avià, Bagà, Berga, Borredà, Capolat, Casserres, Castell de l'Areny, Castellar de n'Hug, Castellar del Riu, Cercs, l'Espunyola, Fígols, Gironella, Gisclareny, Gósol, Guardiola de Berguedà, Montclar, Montmajor, la Nou de Berguedà, Olvan, la Pobla de Lillet, Puig‐reig, la Quar, Sagàs, Saldes, Sant Jaume de Frontanyà, Sant Julià de Cerdanyola, Santa Maria de Merlès, Vallcebre, Vilada and Viver i Serrateix. Osona: Alpens, Collsuspina, Lluçà, Muntanyola, Olost, Oristà, Perafita, Prats de Lluçanès, Sant Agustí de Lluçanès, Sant Bartomeu del Grau, Sant Boi de Lluçanès, Sant Martí d’Albars, Santa Eulàlia de Riuprimer and Sobremunt. 8 El Bages: Calders, Gaià, l’Estany, Moià, Monistrol de Calders, Mura, Sant Feliu Sasserra, Santa Maria d’Oló and Talamanca. El Vallès Oriental: Castellcir, Castellterçol, Granera and Sant Quirze de Safaja. Headquarters: Office Berga c/Lluís Companys, 10 bxs. 08600 Berga Tel. 93 821 42 25 [email protected] Office Lluçanès c/ Vell, 3. 08515 Sta. Creu de Jutglar Tel. 93 888 00 50 [email protected] Office del Moianès c/ De les Joies, 11‐13‐ 08180 Moià Tel. 93 830 14 18 [email protected] Office Valls del Montcau Antigues Escoles de Mura 08278 Mura Tel. 93 831 83 75 / [email protected] L’Associació pel Desenvolupament de la Catalunya Central is made up by 58 municipalities from the districts called Bages, Berguedà, Osona and Vallès Oriental with a population of approximately 62,684. The main goal the Associació is looking for the quality which is already searching the main part of the other Catalan Leader areas. The Associació wishes to obtain complete quality: Central Catalonia, area of quality. To get this quality, the Associació is working on three topics: the value of the land and its natural environment as important elements to give cohesion and responsibility to the territory, the promotion of business and firms and the support to get human resources and the improvement of the employment. 9 The Associació is working to preserve and restore the heritage and the landscape in order to make the population understand the importance of the natural resources that the territory possesses. The consolidation and road signs to mark different routes, to catalogue the heritage and the cleaning and reforestation are some of the actions that it promotes to preserve and promote the heritage. The second topic is working on is the promotion of businesses and firms. It is important to support the industry which wishes to create and consolidate very small firms in the area. Enterprising businesses and the innovation are very important for the development of a territory and for this reason this Associació is working on the establishment of coaching services and on the supervision to support the business initiative that can arise. It has to be considered that tourism is a crucial element for the economical development, the work to achieve a better and wider knowledge of this area can allow people to know this territory better and it can make them visit it. The third topic the Associació is working on is the promotion of the human resources present on the territory. It is supporting some measures what can help the least favoured groups. The Associació is looking for the increase of the employment and it tries to adapt the existent jobs to the kind of work people are applying for in the zone. 10 Interests for cooperation projects: ‐ Biomass and renewable energy. ‐ The recovery of cattle paths and other historical ones. 11 CONSORCI INTERCOMARCAL D’INICIATIVES SOCIOECONÒMIQUES Area: 1.568,69 km2 Population: 36.974 population Average population density: 23,2 hab./km2 Districts and municipalities: Ribera d’Ebre: Ascó, Benissanet, Flix, Garcia, Ginestar, Miravet, Móra d’Ebre, Móra la Nova, La Palma d’Ebre, Rasquera, Riba‐Roja d’Ebre, Tivissa, La Torre de l’Espanyol and Vinebre.