UK and Ireland Co-operation

Co-operation within LEADER is seen as mandatory within Northern Ireland, with a specific focus on co-operation within and between LAGs in Northern Ireland and those in Ireland.

 

Each NI LAG is expected to participate in a minimum of two full Co-operation projects with Ireland LAGs (described as transnational). Projects may also involve LAGs from other regions of the UK (described as inter-territorial) or Member States but as a minimum must involve at least one LAG from NI and one LAG from Ireland. A budget of £4million has been allocated within the LAG budget to this scheme.

 

LAGs in Northern Ireland can also participate in other co-operation projects that do not involve Irish LAGs. Funding for these projects would fall within the general project budget of each LAG.

 

Potential co-operation projects could:

• Help local industry by targeting new markets for their product(s),
• Improve the quality of products manufactured through co-operation on processing techniques,
• Support tourism and related infrastructure development,
• Introduce new approaches in areas such as Village Planning or Environmental Management, building on the experience of LAGs in other areas,
• Provide economies of scale or critical mass to enable a project which would not have been possible within a single LAG area.

 

See also the Cooperation Toolkit as a useful resource for Northern Ireland - Ireland Co-operation 

See Ireland LAG Profiles Sheet for details on each of the 28 LAGs in Ireland, including contact details.