Brussels, 17/08/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has approved the programme relating to Leader + for France, with an envelope, from 2001 to 2006, of 536 million euro (Community contribution: 268 million). The European Commissioner for Agriculture, Franz Fischler noted that this programme "is intended to pilot new ideas for developing a sustainable model of social economic and environmental development in rural France", in particular by contributing to the promotion of the use of "new skills and technologies to make products and services in rural areas more competitive".
The programme will provide support for up to 140 Local Action Groups (LAGs) that will have to present strategies on: - the use of new skills; - improving the quality of life; - adding value to local products (notably, improving small production units' access to markets through collective schemes); - making the best of natural and cultural resources (notably, by enhancing the value of designated areas of community interest under the Natural 2000 scheme). The French authorities have proposed adding a theme covering the relocation of new people and businesses to rural areas.