Opportunities for local fishing action groups for transformation of rural areas

Abstract

The importance of territorial governance structures in the context of neo-endogenous and locally based development is increasing for the development of rural areas in the European Union. EU policy and practice of involving stakeholders and building public-private partnerships (PPPs) are among the main tools for implementing this type of governance in rural and fishing areas. Local Action Groups (LAGs) and Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs) work within the framework of Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) and ensure the participation of local residents in the planning and implementation of their Local Development Strategies (LDSs). The purpose of the report is to assess the distribution, development and problems of FLAGs and their role in the transformations and development of fishing territories. Opportunities and guidelines for their development during the current programming period should be presented on this basis. In the assessment of the development and problems of FLAGs, information from primary and secondary sources was used for the implementation of the Maritime and Fisheries Operational Programme (MFOP) and for the implementation of the Community-Led Local Development approach.