The Spanish Rural Development Network (Red Española de Desarrollo Rural) has spoken with Eduardo Serrano Padial, Evaluator of Unit A3 “Policy Performance” of the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG Agri) of the European Commission, for his opinion on the report « Study to support the assessment of the costs and benefits of the implementation of LEADER » published by DG DR of the European Commission, and other matters particularly related to the LEADER evaluation.
After mentioning that they « have found benefits in terms of time for beneficiaries, thanks to LAG support, which could not be possible without those costs » when he talks about the outcomes of this evaluation, Eduardo Serrano Padia adds that « LEADER is not simply an extra cost, but should also be valued as an investment.