EN
After two editions of the 'LEADER' programme Portugal is assessed as a country which has implemented that EU initiative in an exemplary manner. During the programme's second edition the network of local activity groups covered the entire territory of Portugal. The article describes the effects of implementation of programmes adopted for 1991-1993 and 1994-1999 in terms of the number, types, value and material results of the launched projects, as well as in terms of the programmes' social and political achievements (such as the emergence of a network of non-governmental organisations and decentralization of the state). The article also presents the role of the implemented programmes in the country's rural development.