Evaluating the implementation process of LEADER in Romania

LEADER supports integrated rural regional development. The programme is characterized by a participatory and bottom-up approach, public-private partnerships, multi-sectoral regional development strategies and innovation. An obligatory Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (CMEF) was set up for evaluating EU interventions. The CMEF builds upon sets of common indicators and evaluation questions. Romania, where LEADER is currently introduced, has set national priorities for the programme implementation. For assessing the impact of LEADER in Romania meaningfully, an extension of the CMEF is needed. This paper, identifies and suggests appropriate indicators. Social Network Analysis is proposed as a tool for investigating intangible outcomes of LEADER in a quantitative way.