European experiences of LAGs

Established in 2015 in the three municipalities of Kazbegi, Lagodekhi and Borjomi, Local Action Groups (LAGs) are novelty in Georgia. While the pilot project has expanded to 5 other municipalities, LAGs face many challenges on the road of establishing themselves as viable civil society actors. The aim of this paper is to look at the paths that have been taken in Austria, the Czech Republic and Latvia and identify the relevant experiences from which LAGs in Georgia can learn. In this report, we focus on the development of regional policy in the three EU member states, the examples of cooperation between the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the government, and the evolution of the LEADER programmes and LAGs.