The activities of LAGs are steered by their boards. Each group holds an annual general meeting once a year, through which new members are elected to the board.
The tripartite principle is followed in the composition of the board. This means that the decision-making board of each local action group should have a balanced representation of the following parties:
- municipalities (local administration)
- communities (organisations, associations and large enterprises)
- local people (individual people and entrepreneurs)
All these groups are equally represented in LAG boards. The maximum term of office for a board member is six consecutive years.
The principles relating to the tripartite procedure and the regular turnover of board members are enshrined in eligibility criteria the LAGs’ legally approved rules of association. The tripartite procedure was also used during the programme period 2000-2006, when it was found to effectively encourage trust and direct cooperation between actors involved in development work at the local level.
Municipalities' commitment
Municipalities need to contribute 20% of the public funding granted to each LAG. This payment has to be a "lump sum", so a municipality can not determine its amount in proportion to the number of projects implemented in its area.
The municipalities' duty to contribute 20% of public funding has been agreed since the beginning of LAG work in Finland, and is stipulated in programme documents. This arrangement increases municipalities' commitment to and interest in the work of the LAGs.