The LEADER regions were represented at the Foire Agricole, the agricultural fair in Ettelbrück, last weekend. At the LEADER stand, visitors were not only able to find out more, but there was also a reason to celebrate: LEADER has been supporting the development of rural regions in Luxembourg for 35 years. Among those attending the small celebration were EU Commissioner Christophe Hansen and Minister for Agriculture Martine Hansen. Both praised LEADER as an important tool for raising the profile of local ideas and getting concrete projects off the ground in the regions.

Since the early 1990s, LEADER has stood for an approach that puts local people at the centre. Local authorities, organisations, businesses and committed citizens work together to develop projects that make their region a better place to live, more innovative and more sustainable. The bottom-up principle is key here: rather than having what a region needs dictated from above, local stakeholders contribute their experiences, needs and ideas.