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The rural development programs that are developed with the active involvement of local citizens have a long tradition in the European Union. From 1991 until 2006, Leader I, Leader II and Leader + have been designed as a laboratory to encourage the emergence and testing of new approaches to integrated and sustainable development, rural development policy in the Community. In this way, the initiative Leader, after had experience in three programming periods, has reached a level of maturity that allowed the competent authorities to implement the Leader approach more widely in national rural development programs. For this reason, Council Regulation no. 1698/2005 of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) for the period 2007-2013, contains a fourth axis called LEADER axis. The main focus of the paper is given to the implementation of LEADER in Romania in the period 2007-2013. The paper has three parts. The first part presents the general characteristics of the LEADER approach and the measures that are performed within the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013. In the second part is presented the list of local action groups and their spatial-demographic characteristics.

Romanian rural areas need revitalization and increasing territorial competitiveness. The territorial projects designed from the Local Action Groups, may become a new governance model for the search of regional competitiveness. The objective of this paper is to analyze the critical factors affecting territorial competitiveness in Romania and in the economic sustainability of rural areas. The competitiveness analysis is conducted in the context of the European Network for Rural Development. The methodology used for the analysis is based on the WWP model, which integrates elements of planning as social learning, economic sustainability and Networking Knowledge for Rural Development. The results show that the main limiting factors for regional competitiveness are focused on three dimensions or components: social-ethical, political-contextual and technical-entrepreneurial. Challenges and changes necessary for effective implementation of LEADER under conditions of global market relations are submitted.

This study conducted at USAMV Bucharest aimed to assess the satisfaction levels of students and alumni regarding their learning experiences and competence
development within undergraduate programs. The research objectives included analyzing perceptions of learning quality and acquired competences, identifying
success factors within the programs, hierarchizing acquired competences, and evaluating participation in extracurricular activities and services. A questionnaire - based approach was employed, gathering insights from 582 students and alumni. Findings revealed nuanced satisfaction levels across various facets of the educational experience, with participation in extracurricular activities significantly impacting overall perceptions. The study underscores the importance of continuous evaluation and improvement in delivering high-quality learning experiences and fostering competence acquisition. Recommendations include fine-tuning curriculum design, expanding extracurricular offerings, and strengthening career counseling services.