LEADER region Moselfranken welcomes delegation from the Ministry and the ADD
On April 23, a delegation from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture (Department of Investment Promotion, Promotion of Marketing and Rural Development Measures) with representatives of the Supervisory and Service Directorate in Trier (ADD) visited the LEADER region of Moselfranken. As part of an excursion, projects were visited that were successfully completed in the last LEADER funding period.
The first stop was in the Konz collective municipality, with a stop in the local community of Kanzem. Here, the guests were welcomed in the new community center with the village meeting place "Book and Wine". This was opened last year and made possible by GAK funding of around €900,000. Mayor Joachim Weber (Konz collective municipality) addressed a welcoming greeting to the guests on behalf of the collective municipality. With words of thanks, local mayor Johann-Peter Mertes (Kanzem local community) explained the history of the project and the importance of the new community center for the town on the Saar island. The guests were also given an insight into the premises and the innovative "Book and Wine" concept, which is intended to appeal equally to locals and guests of the region.
The second stop on the program was Dirk Sieren's private brewery in Trassem, which was funded by LEADER funds. The project was completed in 2023 and received a LEADER grant of around €40,000. Dirk Sieren explained the production steps of beer brewing to the guests, as well as his product, marketing and operating concept.
The last stop on the program was the city of Saarburg, where the participants were able to view several finalized LEADER projects. In addition to the multi-generational space at the city parking lot (LEADER funding: around €100,000, sponsor: City of Saarburg), new bicycle parking facilities (LEADER funding: around €11,000, sponsor: City of Saarburg), the restored turbine room in the Amüseum at the waterfall was then inspected. The functional principle of the hydroelectric plant, which has been put back into operation, is brought to life in the turbine room with the help of an explanatory film, thus taking into account the importance of generating energy from sustainable sources. The small project sponsored by the City of Saarburg received LEADER funding of around €13,000 last year. Accompanied by Mayor Jürgen Dixius (Saarburg-Kell Association of Municipalities and City of Saarburg), the day concluded with a tour of the district administrator's garden on the Schlossberg (LEADER funding: around €160,000, sponsor: Saarburg-Kell Association of Municipalities), the modernized administration building and the historic castle complex.
Background: LEADER (French: Liaison entre actions de développement de l'économie rurale) has been promoting model innovative projects in rural areas since 1991. The LEADER approach is intended to give a limited number of areas the opportunity to implement new strategies with an experimental character that are adapted to local conditions. In view of the successful implementation of the Rhineland-Palatinate LEADER approach, LEADER funding in Rhineland-Palatinate will continue almost unchanged in the EU funding period 2023-2027 as part of the CAP strategic plan (source: MWVLW RLP).