# EUR-Lex - 52014PC0253 - EN

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# 52014PC0253

**Recommendation for a COUNCIL DECISION designating the European Capital of Culture for the year 2018 in the Netherlands /* COM/2014/0253 final */**

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

Decision No1622/2006/EC of the European
Parliament and the Council of 24 October 2006 establishing a Community action
for the European Capital of Culture event for the years 2007 to 2019,[1] lays down the procedure
of designation of the European Capitals of Culture. According to Article 2 of
this Decision, from 2009 onwards, two cities of two Member States will be
designated as European Capitals of Culture, in turn, according to the
chronological order set out in the Annex to the Decision. Malta and the
Netherlands are entitled to host the event in 2018. Malta decided to proceed
with its selection procedure one year ahead of the normal time schedule, and
Valletta was designated as “European Capital of Culture 2018” in Malta by Council
Decision 2013/286/EU of 17 May 2013.[2]

The nomination for the European Capital of
Culture for the year 2018 in the Netherlands is submitted to the following
process.

A call for submissions of applications is
published by the Member State concerned no later than six years before the
event. A selection panel composed of 13 independent experts in the cultural
sector is convened for a pre-selection meeting no later than five years before
the event. It assesses the applications received against the criteria laid down
in article 4 of Decision No1622/2006/EC and agrees on a short-list of candidate
cities which have to be considered further after completing their application.

The Member State concerned convenes the
panel for a final selection nine months after the pre-selection meeting. After
an extensive evaluation of the pre-selected cities based on the criteria laid
down for the action, the panel recommends one city for the title in the Member
State concerned.

On the basis of this recommendation, the Member
State nominates one city to be European Capital of Culture and notifies the
European Parliament, the Council, the Commission and the Committee of the
Regions no later than four years before the event in question is due to begin.

The European Parliament may forward an
opinion to the Commission no later than 3 months after receipt of the
nominations.

The Council, acting on a recommendation
from the Commission, officially designates the cities in question for the year
for which they have been nominated.

After completion of the two-round
competition described above, the panel recommended that Leeuwarden (Netherlands)
host the event in 2018 in its report dated September 2013. The Netherlands notified
this nomination to the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission and the
Committee of the Regions in December 2013.

The European Parliament forwarded its
positive opinion to the Commission in February 2014.

Consequently, the Commission, in accordance
with Article 9.3 of Decision No1622/2006/EC submits to the Council the appended
recommendation for the official designation of Leeuwarden for the 2018 European
Capital of Culture event in the Netherlands.

Recommendation for a

COUNCIL DECISION

designating the European Capital of
Culture for the year 2018 in the Netherlands

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the
functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Decision No1622/2006/EC of
the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 2006 establishing a
Community action for the European Capital of Culture event for the years 2007
to 2019[3],
and in particular Article 9(3) thereof,

Having regard
to the recommendation from the European Commission,

Having regard
to the Selection Panel report of September 2013 regarding the selection process
of the European Capital of Culture in the Netherlands,

Whereas :

Considering
that the criteria referred to in Article 4 of Decision No1622/2006/EC are
entirely fulfilled,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Leeuwarden is designated as “European
Capital of Culture 2018” in the Netherlands.

Article 2

This
Decision shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in
the Official Journal of the European Union.

Done at Brussels,

For
the Council

The
President

[1]               OJ L 304 of 3.11.2006, p. 1.

[2]               OJ L 162 of 14.06.2013, p. 9.

[3]               OJ L 304 of 3.11.2006, p. 1.