Regional consultation "LAS in the field - from local initiative to systemic solution"

On Friday, September 18, 2026, between 10 am and 12 noon, a regional conference "LAG in the field - from local initiative to systemic solution" will be held at Dvorec Bukovje in Dravogradu, aimed at discussing the experiences of local action groups and the future of the LEADER/CLLD approach after 2027. The conference will be held during the visit of the State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mojca Erjavec.

The event will connect the LAG Kozjak-Pohorje, the LAG Mežiška doline and the LAG Mislinjska and Drava doline 2027, which together cover all 12 municipalities of the Koroške region and the municipalities of Lovrenc na Pohorju, Selnica ob Dravi and Ruše.

Local action groups play an important role in connecting residents, municipalities, the economy, agriculture and civil society. With a "bottom-up" approach, they enable rural development to stem from the real needs of people and the specificities of each area, and to transform local initiatives into concrete development projects and solutions.

This approach is also the foundation of the LAG Local Development Strategy Kozjak-Pohorje, which emphasizes the cooperation of local partners, the integration of different sectors, innovation, networking and the inclusion of communities in the development of the area.

With the current programming period coming to an end and the increasingly intense discussions on rural development after 2027, the consultation will be an opportunity for an open discussion on what has proven to be good in the implementation of LEADER/CLLD and is worth preserving, what needs to be simplified or changed, and what conditions local action groups need to work even more effectively in the future.

The program will begin with an introductory greeting from the Director of the Regional Development Agency for Koroško Uroš Rozman and an address from State Secretary Mojca Erjavec. This will be followed by a presentation of the mission and experiences of the three local action groups, followed by a presentation by Primož Kroflič, President of the Slovenian Rural Development Association, on the key systemic challenges in implementing LEADER/CLLD today and beyond 2027.

The central part of the event will be a round table discussion "What must the state preserve and what must it change to make rural development more effective today and after 2027?", which will be moderated by Julija Marošek, director of the company Nov'na razvoj and president of the LAS Mežiške doline. The following will participate in the discussion:

• Mojca Erjavec, State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture,
• Primož Kroflič, President of the Association for the Development of Slovenian Rural Areas,
• Uroš Rozman, director of RRA Koroška,
• Lucija Tomšič, president of the LAS Kozjak-Pohorje,
• Bojan Borovnik, president of the Mislinja and Drava Valleys 2027 LAG,
• Viktorija Barbič, director of the lead partner of the Mežiška dolina LAG, ALP Peca doo

The regional consultation aims to highlight experiences from the field and create a space for direct dialogue between local communities, local action groups and state representatives. The goal is clear - to preserve what works in the LEADER/CLLD approach and together to design solutions that will make rural development after 2027 even more effective, accessible and better adapted to the needs of local environments.