Assignment 1

European Capital of Culture

 European Capital of Culture initiative was first started in 1985 as an idea of Greek
Minister of Culture Melina Mercouri. Purpose of the project was to bring citizens of the
European Union closer together and provide an opportunity to learn about different people,
their customs and history. The idea turned out to be one of the most recognised projects of
the European Union because of its impact on the socioeconomic and cultural welfare of the
Capitals of Culture. Chosen cities become tourist hotspots for the year by organising cultural
events, which promotes socioeconomic development. For example, the European
Commission (2018) reported that in Wroclaw 2016 there was a 40% turnover increase in
cultural and creative industry. In accordance with the socioeconomic growth, the European
Capitals of Culture are regenerated as their administrations erect new buildings for cultural
events and enrich local communities. It was reported that the Museum of European and
Mediterranean Civilisations was constructed in Marseille for 2013 as an addition to the city’s
cultural infrastructure (The European Commission, 2018). Apart from the economic growth,
the project helps build a sense of community in the chosen cities, as well as across Europe.
For Pilsen 2015, citizens organised the "Foster the City" programme and renovated the public
spaces in order to prepare their city for the visitors. The spirit of the local community was so
strong that the European Commission (2018) reported they successfully developed an action
plan and helped with the implementation of the improvements. Citizens’ initiative was
supported by the funding of the European Capital of Culture programme, but it was their
unanimity and team-work that made the investment successful. The cultural aspect of the
European Capital of Culture is of high importance for the European Community in general.
The events unite European artists and provide space and time for their artwork. According to
the European Commission (2018) 80% of projects in Aarhus 2017 featured an exchange within
Europe or a project with international partners. In such multicultural environment, European
community has a chance to enrich their worldviews, learn about historical heritage of their
continent, and be familiarised with current artistic movements.

The European Commission designed a specific selection process for the European
Capitals of Culture candidates. Countries of the European Union can submit applications every
year, while every third year an open competition is organised, which means that candidates
and potential candidates for the EU membership can compete as well. The selection process
begins six years in advance. First the Ministries of Culture of the member states of the
European Union call for applications from the cities. Cities which are interested in applying
need to submit innovative programmes and make sure that they have the cultural
infrastructure for the planned events. The European Commission (2014) stresses the
importance of making a new programme, because bidding with the existing cultural activities
is insufficient. The following two-year period is referred to as pre-selection and the
applications are reviewed by cultural experts chosen by the institutions of the European
Union. According to the European Commission (2009), these institutions include the
European Commission itself, European Parliament, Council of Ministers and Committee of the
Regions. The cultural experts work together to select the short-listed candidates which need
to deliver detailed applications. The committee even visits some of the cities in order to make
the right decision. In the final selection, one city from each of the two host countries is
recommended as an official candidate. Two cities are then formally approved by the EU
Council of Ministers, which means that they have the honour to be the European Capital of
Culture for the designated year. The European Commission (2014) dubbed the following
phase as monitoring. During the monitoring phase the officially approved cities work with the
appointed advisory panel for four years to make extensive preparations. After this period
cities finally get to their designated year and fulfil their plans as European Capitals of Culture.
Lastly, the European Commission publishes an evaluation report when the year is over. The
European Commission (2009) explained that they assess the cities’ accomplishments and
devotion to commitments made during the selection process. If the cities’ evaluation report
is good, then the European Commission awards them the Melina Mercouri prize of 1.5 million
euros.

According to the European Commission (2014) there are six categories of criteria in
the selection process of European Capital of Culture. The competition criteria enable the
candidates to benefit from application, because they come up with creative and
implementable ideas which can be useful for their cities in the future. The first criterion is that
candidate’s ideas must have a long-term cultural impact on the city. Since one of the common
misconceptions is that European Capital of Culture is organised for tourism, this criterion
clearly defines it as a cultural project which demands long-term commitment. The European
Commission explained that the programme should focus on "citizens, in particular those of
the city, and their connection with culture and Europe" (European Commission, 12). On the
one hand, the long-term benefits can be seen in enriching the city’s physical infrastructure,
such as the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations in Marseille 2013. On the
other hand, the benefits can touch people’s humane side and make them question history, or
see the benefits of co-existence. The examples are San Sebastian 2016, which focused on
overcoming conflicts between communities, and Liverpool 2008, which explored its role in
the slave trade. The second criterion is the quality of cultural and artistic content, which has
to offer traditional and experimental art, involving local artists and cultural organisations.
Programme must have a clear vision and strategy, specifically developed for the competition.
Apart from featuring local artists, the European Commission (2014) stressed the importance
of activities featuring European artists and international cooperation between artists on the
continent. Furthermore, events have to balance between free and ticketed ones, and they
must include reputable artists and new names in the artistic world. The most difficult task of
this criterion is intertwining the programme’s objectives with the events while giving them a
European dimension. The sense of European community is the third criterion, and it emerges
from the first two. The European dimension gives the programme an international value and
strengthens the connection of the European community. The European Commission (2014)
refers to this criterion as "the heart of an ECOC programme," because it promotes
intercultural dialogue and understanding between European citizens. The fourth criterion
demands that the local population is included in "the preparation of the application and
implementation of the action" (European Commission, 2014). Apart from the European
community as a whole, the competition is there to inspire the local communities to work
together, including young people and the elderly, minorities, marginalised and
disadvantaged. One notable example is the beforementioned Pilsen 2015, where citizens
organised the "Foster the City" programme. Being European Capital of Culture helps
overcome prejudice and stigma in the communities. The fifth criterion is concerned with the
feasibility of the planned events and its main factor is good management. The application has
to include calculated expenses and fund-raising plans, marketing and communication
strategy, and skilful staff which realise all of the planned events. This part of the application
has to be carefully planned and calculated because the European Commission wants to know
how much it will take to cover the preparation phase, year of the title, evaluation, as well as
contingency. In other words, the fifth criterion shows that the competition is a serious and
prestigious one, and the citizens and their administrations have to be determined and diligent
competitors in order to win. The sixth criterion demands that the city has the capacity to
deliver the promised programme. One part of this criterion is the physical infrastructure,
which can be manipulated. For example, the beforementioned Marseille 2013 constructed a
new museum in order to fulfil its promises and win its title as the European Capital of Culture.
Second part of this criterion might be more complex, because it is concerned with citizens
and local and national authorities. Strong political support and committed local community
are of crucial importance for successful implementation of the planned events. The sixth
criterion highlights the European Capital of Culture as a cultural project which should be
exempt from political disagreements and which should help local communities overcome
prejudices in order to work together for improvement of their city and enrichment of the
European Community as a whole.
Resources
1. European Commission. 2018. European Capital of Culture [Factsheet]. Retrieved from:
https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/sites/creative-
europe/files/ecoc-fact-sheet-122018_en.pdf
2. European Commission. 2009. European Capitals of Culture: the road to success From
1985 to 2010. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European
Communities. Retrieved from: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-
europe/sites/creative-europe/files/library/capitals-culture-25-years_en.pdf
3. European Commission. 2014. European Capitals of Culture 2020 to 2033 A guide for
cities preparing to bid. Retrieved from: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-
europe/sites/creative-europe/files/capitals-culture-candidates-guide_en.pdf