# European Capital of Culture

A European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union (EU) for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension. Being a European Capital of Culture can be an opportunity for a city to generate considerable cultural, social, and economic benefits, and it can help foster urban regeneration, change the city's image, and raise its visibility and profile on an international scale. Multiple cities can be a European Capital of Culture simultaneously.
In 1985, Melina Mercouri, Greece's Minister of Culture, and her French counterpart Jack Lang came up with the idea of designating an annual City of Culture to bring Europeans closer together by highlighting the richness and diversity of European cultures and raising awareness of their common history and values.
The Commission of the European Union manages the title, and each year the Council of Ministers of the European Union formally designates European Capitals of Culture: more than 60 cities have been designated so far. The current European Capitals of Culture for 2025 are Nova Gorica in Slovenia with Gorizia in Italy, and Chemnitz in Germany.

## Selection process

An international panel of cultural experts is in charge of assessing the proposals of cities for the title according to criteria specified by the European Union.
For two of the capitals each year, eligibility is open to cities in EU member states only. From 2021 and every three years thereafter, a third capital will be chosen from cities in countries that are candidates or potential candidates for membership, or in countries that are part of the European Economic Area (EEA)– an example of the latter being Stavanger, Norway, which was a European Capital of Culture in 2008.
A 2004 study conducted for the Commission, known as the "Palmer report", demonstrated that the choice of European Capital of Culture served as a catalyst for cultural development and the transformation of the city. Consequently, the beneficial socio-economic development and impact for the chosen city are now also considered in determining the chosen cities.
Bids from five United Kingdom cities to be the 2023 Capital of Culture were disqualified in November 2017, because the UK was planning to leave the EU before 2023.

## History

The European Capital of Culture programme was initially called the European City of Culture and was conceived in 1983, by Melina Mercouri, then serving as minister of culture in Greece. Mercouri believed that at the time, culture was not given the same attention as politics and economics and a project for promoting European cultures within the member states should be pursued.
The European City of Culture programme was launched in the summer of 1985 with Athens being the first title-holder. In 1999, the European City of Culture program was renamed to European Capital of Culture.

## List of European Capitals of Culture

| Year | City | Country | Notes/Links | Candidate cities |
| 1985 | Athens | Greece | |
| 1986 | Florence | Italy | |
| 1987 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | |
| 1988 | West Berlin | West Berlin | City under Western Allied occupation until 1990; territory was claimed by the Federal Republic of Germany. The name "European City of Culture" was used instead of "Capital" in order to not provoke the East German government. |
| 1989 | Paris | France | |
| 1990 | Glasgow | United Kingdom | Glasgow Garden Festival |
| 1991 | Dublin | Ireland | |
| 1992 | Madrid | Spain | |
| 1993 | Antwerp | Belgium | |
| 1994 | Lisbon | Portugal | |
| 1995 | Luxembourg City | Luxembourg | |
| 1996 | Copenhagen | Denmark | |
| 1997 | Thessaloniki | Greece | |
| 1998 | Stockholm | Sweden | |
| 1999 | Weimar | Germany | |
| 2000 | Avignon | France | The year 2000 was called the millennium year and treated in a special way, in order to emphasize the enduring heritage and contribution of European cities to world culture and civilization. Because of that, nine locations were chosen, including two cities of states that were to join the EU on 1 May 2004. |
| 2000 | Bergen | Norway | The year 2000 was called the millennium year and treated in a special way, in order to emphasize the enduring heritage and contribution of European cities to world culture and civilization. Because of that, nine locations were chosen, including two cities of states that were to join the EU on 1 May 2004. |
| 2000 | Bologna | Italy | The year 2000 was called the millennium year and treated in a special way, in order to emphasize the enduring heritage and contribution of European cities to world culture and civilization. Because of that, nine locations were chosen, including two cities of states that were to join the EU on 1 May 2004. |
| 2000 | Brussels | Belgium | The year 2000 was called the millennium year and treated in a special way, in order to emphasize the enduring heritage and contribution of European cities to world culture and civilization. Because of that, nine locations were chosen, including two cities of states that were to join the EU on 1 May 2004. |
| 2000 | Helsinki | Finland | The year 2000 was called the millennium year and treated in a special way, in order to emphasize the enduring heritage and contribution of European cities to world culture and civilization. Because of that, nine locations were chosen, including two cities of states that were to join the EU on 1 May 2004. |
| 2000 | Kraków | Poland | The year 2000 was called the millennium year and treated in a special way, in order to emphasize the enduring heritage and contribution of European cities to world culture and civilization. Because of that, nine locations were chosen, including two cities of states that were to join the EU on 1 May 2004. |
| 2000 | Prague | Czech Republic | The year 2000 was called the millennium year and treated in a special way, in order to emphasize the enduring heritage and contribution of European cities to world culture and civilization. Because of that, nine locations were chosen, including two cities of states that were to join the EU on 1 May 2004. |
| 2000 | Reykjavík | Iceland | The year 2000 was called the millennium year and treated in a special way, in order to emphasize the enduring heritage and contribution of European cities to world culture and civilization. Because of that, nine locations were chosen, including two cities of states that were to join the EU on 1 May 2004. |
| 2000 | Santiago de Compostela | Spain | The year 2000 was called the millennium year and treated in a special way, in order to emphasize the enduring heritage and contribution of European cities to world culture and civilization. Because of that, nine locations were chosen, including two cities of states that were to join the EU on 1 May 2004. |
| 2001 | Porto | Portugal | |
| 2001 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | |
| 2002 | Bruges | Belgium | |
| 2002 | Salamanca | Spain | |
| 2003 | Graz | Austria | |
| 2004 | Genoa | Italy | |
| 2004 | Lille | France | |
| 2005 | Cork | Ireland | Cork Caucus | Galway, Limerick, Waterford |
| 2006 | Patras | Greece | |
| 2007 | Luxembourg City | Luxembourg | |
| 2007 | Sibiu | Romania | |
| 2008 | Liverpool | United Kingdom | | Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Newcastle and Gateshead (joint bid), Oxford |
| 2008 | Stavanger | Norway | |
| 2009 | Linz | Austria | Linz 2009 |
| 2009 | Vilnius | Lithuania | |
| 2010 | Essen | Germany | Representing the whole Ruhr as Ruhr.2010. | Braunschweig, Bremen, Essen, Görlitz, Halle an der Saale, Karlsruhe, Kassel, Lübeck, Potsdam, Regensburg |
| 2010 | Istanbul | Turkey | |
| 2010 | Pécs | Hungary | |
| 2011 | Tallinn | Estonia | |
| 2011 | Turku | Finland | Turku 2011 |
| 2012 | Guimarães | Portugal | |
| 2012 | Maribor | Slovenia | |
| 2013 | Košice | Slovakia | |
| 2013 | Marseille | France | Marseille-Provence 2013 | Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulouse |
| 2014 | Riga | Latvia | |
| 2014 | Umeå | Sweden | |
| 2015 | Mons | Belgium | |
| 2015 | Plzeň | Czech Republic | |
| 2016 | San Sebastián | Spain | Donostia 2016 | Burgos, Córdoba, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Segovia, Zaragoza |
| 2016 | Wrocław | Poland | | Gdańsk, Katowice, Lublin, Warsaw |
| 2017 | Aarhus | Denmark | Aarhus 2017 | Sønderborg |
| 2017 | Paphos | Cyprus | Pafos 2017 | Limassol, Nicosia |
| 2018 | Leeuwarden | Netherlands | | Eindhoven, Maastricht, The Hague, Utrecht |
| 2018 | Valletta | Malta | Valletta 2018 |
| 2019 | Matera | Italy | Matera 2019 | Cagliari, Lecce, Perugia, Ravenna, Siena |
| 2019 | Plovdiv | Bulgaria | Plovdiv 2019 | Sofia, Varna, Veliko Turnovo |
| 2020 – April 2021 | Galway | Ireland | Galway 2020 | Limerick, The Three Sisters (joint bid Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny) |
| 2020 – April 2021 | Rijeka | Croatia | Rijeka 2020 | Dubrovnik, Osijek, Pula |
| 2022 | Esch-sur-Alzette | Luxembourg | Esch-sur-Alzette 2022 |
| 2022 | Kaunas | Lithuania | Kaunas 2022 | Klaipėda |
| 2022 | Novi Sad | Serbia | Novi Sad 2022 (Coronavirus postponement) |
| 2023$^1$ | Eleusis | Greece | Eleusis 2023 (Coronavirus postponement) | Kalamata, Rhodes |
| 2023$^1$ | Timișoara | Romania | Timișoara 2023 (Coronavirus postponement) | Baia Mare, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca |
| 2023$^1$ | Veszprém | Hungary | Veszprém 2023 | Debrecen, Győr |
| 2024 | Bad Ischl | Austria | Salzkammergut 2024 | Dornbirn, St. Pölten |
| 2024 | Bodø$^2$ | Norway | Bodø 2024 | Banja Luka, Mostar |
| 2024 | Tartu | Estonia | Tartu 2024 | Kuressaare, Narva |
| 2025 | Chemnitz | Germany | Chemnitz 2025 | Hannover, Hildesheim, Magdeburg, Nuremberg |
| 2025 | Nova Gorica/Gorizia joint bid | Slovenia Italy | GO! 2025 | Ljubljana, Piran, Ptuj |
| 2026 | Oulu | Finland | Oulu 2026 | Savonlinna, Tampere |
| 2026 | Trenčín | Slovakia | Trenčín 2026 | Nitra, Žilina |
| 2027 | Évora | Portugal | Évora 2027 | Aveiro, Braga, Ponta Delgada |
| 2027 | Liepāja | Latvia | Liepāja 2027 | Daugavpils, Valmiera |
| 2028 | Bourges | France | Bourges 2028 | Clermont-Ferrand, Montpellier, Rouen, Saint-Denis |
| 2028 | České Budějovice | Czech Republic | České Budějovice 2028 | Broumov, Brno, Liberec |
| 2028 | Skopje$^2$ | North Macedonia | Skopje 2028 | Budva |
| 2029 | Kiruna | Sweden | Kiruna 2029 | Uppsala |
| 2029 | Lublin | Poland | Lublin 2029 | Bielsko-Biała, Katowice, Kołobrzeg |
| 2030 | TBA 2025 | Cyprus | | Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia |
| 2030 | TBA September 2025 | Belgium | | Shortlisted cities: Leuven, Molenbeek, Namur Other applicants: Bruges, Ghent, Kortrijk |
| 2030 | TBA$^2$ | TBA | | Lviv, Nikšić |
| 2031 | TBA | Malta | | Birgu, Victoria |
| 2031 | TBA | Spain | | potential candidates: Burgos, Cáceres, Granada, Jerez de la Frontera, Las Palmas, Toledo |
| 2032 | TBA | Bulgaria | | |
| 2032 | TBA | Denmark | | potential candidate: Næstved |
| 2033 | TBA | Netherlands | | potential candidate: Heerlen |
| 2033 | TBA | Italy | | potential candidates: Turin, Pesaro/Urbino, Viterbo |
| 2033 | TBA$^2$ | TBA | |
$^1$ The European Capital of Culture was due to be in the UK in 2023. However, due to its decision to leave the European Union, UK cities would no longer be eligible to hold the title after 2019. The European Commission's Scotland office confirmed that this would be the case on 23 November 2017, only one week before the UK was due to announce which city would be put forward. The candidate cities were Dundee, Leeds, Milton Keynes, Nottingham and a joint bid from Northern Irish cities of Belfast and Derry and the town of Strabane.
$^2$ A new framework makes it possible for cities in candidate countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine), potential candidates for EU membership (Kosovo) or EFTA member states (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) to hold the title every third year as of 2021. This will be selected through an open competition, meaning that cities from various countries may compete with each other.