The Community-Led Local Development (CLD) approach is a unified methodology that is applied in place of the previous LEADER approach, building on it:
- While in the planning period 2007-2013 the Local Development Strategies were financed only by the Rural Development Program through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), the 2014-2020 NAP receives support from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) through the RDP 2014-2020 and may also receive support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) through: OP “Environment”; OP “Development of human resources”; OP “Innovations and Competitiveness”; OP “Science and Education for Smart Growth”; Maritime and Fisheries Programme.
- Under LEADER, management costs were financed by the EAFRD or the EDF respectively, depending on whether the local partnership was a local initiative group or a local fisheries initiative group.
In the case of VOMR, the management costs are financed by the lead fund (EAFRD or EMFR).
- Under LEADER, the decision-making within the LAG required economic and social partners and civil society to represent at least 50% of the voting rights.
In the VOMR, none of the parties (public sector, business sector and civil society) can represent more than 49% of the voting rights.