# EUR-Lex - 52012PC0146 - EN

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# 52012PC0146

**Recommendation for a COUNCIL DECISION designating the European Capital of Culture for the year 2016 in Spain and Poland /* COM/2012/0146 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. Spain and Poland are entitled to host the
event in 2016.

The nomination for European Capitals of
Culture concerning the year 2016 onwards is submitted to the following process.

A call for submissions of applications is
published by each of the Member States 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.

Each of the Member States concerned
convenes the panel for final selection, 9 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 each Member State concerned.

On the basis of these recommendations, both
Member States nominate one city each to be European Capital of Culture and
notify 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 rounds
competition described above, the panel recommended that Donostia-San Sebastián
(Spain) and Wrocław (Poland) host the event in 2016 in its reports dated
June 2011. Both Member States notified these nominations to the European
Parliament, the Council, the Commission and the Committee of the Regions by
Autumn 2011.

The European Parliament forwarded its
positive opinion to the Commission in late December 2011.

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 Donostia- San Sebastián and Wrocław
respectively for the 2016 European Capital of Culture event.

Recommendation for a

COUNCIL DECISION

designating the European Capital of
Culture for the year 2016 in Spain and Poland

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[2],
and in particular Article 9(3) thereof,

Having regard
to the recommendation from the European Commission of the -----------------
2012,

Having regard
to the Selection Panel reports of June 2011 regarding the selection process of
the European Capitals of Culture in Spain and Poland respectively,

Whereas :

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

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Donostia-San Sebastián and Wrocław are
designated as “European Capital of Culture 2016” in Spain and Poland.

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, p1

[2]               OJ L 304 of 3.11.2006, p1.