The territory is considered not only as a physical space for the application of the different programs, but as an entity with its own character that is capable of mobilizing development initiatives based on its problems, inhabitants and resources.

It involves citizen participation, through representative public and private groups and institutions, in decision-making on the strategy and in the selection of priorities to be set in their local area.

All development actions must consider all social and economic sectors and from all points of view (labour, integration, gender, social services, children, the elderly, etc.).

Leader must encourage the population to abandon passive and conformist positions and adopt attitudes of commitment and action. Decentralized Management becomes the necessary condition for the rural population to take responsibility for their own development. The public powers must contribute by removing the barriers that may prevent civil participation.

Local Action Groups (LAGs) are local associations that have the task of developing and implementing a local development strategy and making decisions about the allocation of their financial resources and managing them. LAGs must be made up of public and private partners and be representative of existing local interest groups, which must come from the different socio-economic sectors of the area. The local agents that participate most actively in local initiatives are professional organizations and unions (representatives of farmers, non-agricultural professionals and micro-enterprises), trade associations, citizens, residents and their local organizations, local political representatives, environmental associations, cultural and community service providers, including the media, women's and youth associations.

Leader stimulates innovative approaches to the development of rural areas. Innovation must be understood in a broad sense, since it can mean the introduction of a new product, a new process, a new organization or a new market.

Means that a local action group undertakes a joint project with another Leader group or with a group that adopts a similar approach in another Region, another Member State or even in a third country. Cooperation can enhance the local activities of the groups and allow them to solve certain problems or add value to local resources.

Allows the exchange of experiences and knowledge between groups, rural areas, administrations and organizations involved in rural development in the European Union. It is not only a question of publicizing the successes achieved so that they serve as an example, but also of publicizing the failures so that the rest avoid them.

The EAFRD budget for the 2014-2020 programming period amounted to around €100 billion. Under the CAP Transition Regulation (adopted on December 23, 2020), the RDPs were conditionally extended to 2021 and 2022. During these years, the RDPs will receive €26.9 billion from the EAFRD budget for the period 2021-2027 and an additional import of 8.1 billion euros of the Next Generation EU instrument. Thanks to this extension, many of the projects and organizations included in the RDPs will continue to operate until the end of 2025. There are around 2,800 local action groups (LAGs) responsible for implementing LEADER, covering 61% of the EU's rural population and bringing together stakeholders from the public, private and community sectors in one area.