DIRECTIONS OF DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL POLICY WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR RURAL AREAS.

The article discusses the issue of regional policy in the context of the Leader approach, which adopted the form of a Community-Led Local Development measure. A measure is a new territorial instrument introduced by the European Commission aiming at the integration of previously dispersed financial instruments connected with the Cohesion Policy. The new Cohesion Policy aims at reducing disparities in the level of development of various regions as well as at increasing competitiveness and employment. The Leader approach within the framework of the fourth priority axis of the RDP 2007-2013 was realized by means of three measures. The evaluation shows that the strategies prepared by LAGs covered over 50 % of rural areas. The management boards and members of LAGs demonstrated great involvement in the activities for taking advantage of local resources and the potential of rural areas. LAGs were primarily involved in the cultivation of traditions, development of tourist services as well as promotion of a healthy lifestyle. Community-Led Local Development is a new territorial instrument introduced by the European Commission to be implemented in the financial perspective for the years 2014-2020. It was assumed that this instrument should be based on the Leader approach applied in the years 2007-2013 under the Common Agricultural Policy and it should preserve its fundamental provisions. CLLD is an instrument aiming at performing the partnership agreement and introducing programmes for the effective implementation of the Cohesion Policy provisions. New measures include preparatory support constituting a bridge between the realization of the LDS from the period of 2007-2013 and a new 2014-2020 programming period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]