LEADER Attica Islands

The program

The "LEADER Attica Islands" program funds private business projects on the islands of the Attica Islands Regional Unit, with subsidies of 60%-80% depending on sector and location and project budgets of up to €300,000-€400,000. Applications are accepted until February 10, 2027.

The program targets businesses operating or planning to start up on the islands of Agkistri, Aegina, Kythira-Antikythira, Poros, Salamis, Spetses, Troizinia-Methana and Hydra. It covers six investment categories: processing of agricultural and non-agricultural products, handicraft and craft production, tourism, service provision, and energy and water saving. It can cover building works, machinery and other equipment, land purchase (within a limit) and studies.

On Kythira-Antikythira and the small islands of the Aegean, the subsidy for two processing categories reaches 80%, higher than the standard rate for the rest of the area, due to their island status. In some categories (such as tourism), new accommodation can only be set up in mountainous areas or on islands with fewer than 3,500 residents. The program is co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and is managed by the Local Action Group "Network of Cooperation of Municipalities of the Attica Islands Regional Unit".

At a glance

How applications are evaluated

Evaluation is comparative: all applications within a sub-intervention are scored using common criteria and ranked, with the highest-scoring applications funded until the available budget is used up. The submission date does not affect ranking. Each application must meet all eligibility criteria and score above the minimum threshold set in the call. In case of a tie, the application with the higher score on the most heavily weighted criterion is ranked first. After results are notified, the beneficiary has the right to object within 10 calendar days, reviewed within 15 working days by an appeals committee.

Duration and obligations

The beneficiary must complete the physical and financial scope of the project within the approved schedule and submit a payment request for at least 15% of the public expenditure within 18 months of the inclusion decision, otherwise the decision is revoked. An advance payment of up to 50% of the remaining approved public grant may be requested. After completion, the beneficiary has long-term obligations (no change of ownership, no relocation outside the area) for 3 years (SMEs) to 5 years (accommodation, infrastructure, leased properties) from the last payment, and must keep the project's records for at least 10 years.

Call details: Action Π3-77-4.1 "Support for local development through LEADER (CLLD)" · Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan (CAP SP) 2023-2027 · Call ref. 1473/October 16, 2026 (OPSKE code: ΚΑΠ-29)

Who it is for

Beneficiaries can be individuals and existing or under-formation legal entities carrying out business activity on the islands of the intervention area.

Eligibility conditions

To apply, a business or individual must meet the following:

• Be an individual, an existing legal entity, or a legal entity under formation (with a draft founding charter and an AFM from at least one participating member).
• For modernization, the business must already hold an operating license and be proven to be in operation; for a new start-up, there must be no existing operating license at the same location.
• For new accommodation establishments (sub-intervention 1.5), the investment is only eligible in mountainous areas or on islands with fewer than 3,500 residents, and a building permit must already have been issued at the time of application.
• The investment must be carried out within the Municipalities of Agkistri, Aegina, Kythira-Antikythira, Poros, Salamis, Spetses, Troizinia-Methana, or Hydra.
• For sub-interventions under the de minimis state aid regime, the total de minimis aid received by the single undertaking must not exceed €300,000 over any three-year period.
• The business must not be undergoing dissolution, liquidation, or bankruptcy.

Who is excluded

• Offshore companies.
• Businesses with final fines for serious labor law violations (3 fines/3 inspections) or undeclared work (2 fines/2 inspections).
• Public employees or NPDD/NPID staff without the relevant permit from the competent service council.
• Individuals or legal entities under dissolution, liquidation, or bankruptcy.
• Individuals under 18 years of age (the restriction does not apply to SAs, private companies, IKEs, and cooperatives).
• Beneficiaries of sectoral programs co-funded for the same purpose by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (for the agricultural/non-agricultural processing sub-interventions).

Program budget

The total co-financed public expenditure of the call amounts indicatively to €2,097,442.14, allocated among the six sub-interventions as follows:

The Local Action Group may, with the agreement of the competent authority, update the total public expenditure or its allocation among sub-interventions, or withdraw the call with justification, notifying applicants through its website.

Subsidy amount

The eligible project budget and subsidy rate vary by sub-intervention and area:

For example, a business processing agricultural products (sub-intervention 1.1) with an eligible budget of €400,000 receives a €260,000 grant in the rest of the intervention area (65%), while the same investment in Kythira-Antikythira receives €320,000 (80%).

The own contribution is the difference between the public grant and the total project budget and can be covered with own funds, a loan, or a combination of both. For sub-interventions 1.5, 1.6, and 1.7 (and, according to the support-rate table of Annex II of the call, also 1.2), the de minimis state aid regime applies: the total de minimis aid received by the single undertaking cannot exceed €300,000 over any three-year period. No advance payment is provided beyond the approved public grant.

Eligible expenses

Eligible expenses mainly cover building works and equipment, depending on the sub-intervention:

Expenses are eligible from January 1, 2023.

Ineligible expenses

• Projects whose physical scope has already been completed before the support application is submitted.
• For new start-ups, expenses incurred after the operating license for the investment has already been issued.
• Land purchase expenses above the 10% cap on the eligible budget.
• For sub-intervention 1.7, other expenses unrelated to water or energy saving, beyond 10% of the total budget.

Important dates

• October 16, 2026 — Publication of the call (ref. 1473)
• October 20, 2026, 1:00 p.m. — Start of application submission
• February 10, 2027, 3:00 p.m. — End of application submission

Frequently asked questions about LEADER Attica Islands

Can a business that has already received de minimis aid apply?

Yes, as long as the total de minimis aid received by the single undertaking over the last three years, together with the requested aid, does not exceed €300,000. The accumulation check is carried out through the national registry before the inclusion decision.

From when are the project's expenses eligible?

From January 1, 2023. However, projects whose physical scope has already been completed before the support application is submitted are not eligible.

Does the order of submission affect the evaluation?

No. Evaluation is comparative: all applications in each sub-intervention are scored using common criteria, and the highest-scoring ones are funded until the available budget is exhausted.

What happens if the investment property includes an unauthorized structure?

According to the clarifications, the structure must already have been regularized under a legalization law before the support application is submitted, and the corresponding square meters must be included in the approved budget.

Can a business under formation apply?

Yes, by submitting a draft founding charter and an AFM from at least one of the participating members, with written consent from the others.

Does the rule limiting new accommodation to mountainous areas apply?

Yes, for sub-intervention 1.5, new accommodation facilities can only be established in mountainous areas or on islands with fewer than 3,500 residents, and a building permit must already have been issued at the time of application.

Useful files

• The call (PDF in Greek, 52 pages, 2.1 MB)

Interested in this program?

The espa.io team prepares and submits the application. Book an appointment with an adviser, or send an email to info@espa.io.