Rural development and LEADER + in Greece: Evaluation of local action groups

The reform of the structural funds that took place in 1988 gave the European Union the opportunity to provide EU member-states with special funding through community initiatives in order to diminish regional inequalities and contribute to the integrated development of the rural sector, which had been following a downward course in the last few decades. The LEADER I Community Initiative (CI) at first, followed by LEADER II and LEADER+, reinforced the local identity of the regions in which they were implemented, enhanced their natural and cultural resources, brought together for the first time local productive sectors like agriculture and tourism and revived local skills. The present paper evaluates the Local Action Groups (LAGs) implementing the LEADER+ CI in Greece, by using the PROMETHEE II multicriteria analysis. The data used is related to the budgets per measure and intervention area pertaining to each LAG. The analysis showed that the top positions in this ranking are mainly occupied by LAGs active in insular areas, which focus on the development of rural tourism and the enhancement of the natural and built environment of their region.