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Brussels, 23.4.2010

COM(2010)178 final

Recommendation for a

COUNCIL DECISION

On the European Capital of Culture event for the year 2014

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

Decision 1622/2006/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. Sweden and Latvia are entitled to host the event in 2014.

The nomination for European Capitals of Culture concerning the year 2014 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 1622/2006/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 Umeå (Sweden) and Riga (Latvia) host the event in 2014 in its reports dated September 2009. Both Member States notified these nominations to the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission and the Committee of the Regions by end 2009.

The European Parliament forwarded its positive opinion to the Commission in early January 2010.

Consequently, the Commission, in accordance with Article 9.3 of Decision 1622/2006/EC submits to the Council the appended recommendation for the official designation of Umeå and Riga respectively for the 2014 European Capital of Culture event.

Recommendation for a

COUNCIL DECISION

On the European Capital of Culture event for the year 2014

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

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

Having regard to Decision n° 1622/2006/EC of the European Parliament and the Council establishing a Community action for the European Capital of Culture event for the years 2007 to 2019[2],

Having regard to the Selection Panel reports of September 2009 regarding the selection process of the European Capitals of Culture in Sweden and Latvia respectively and the positive opinion issued by the European Parliament,

Considering that the criteria referred to in Article 4 of Decision 1622/2006/EC are entirely fulfilled,

Having regard to the recommendation from the Commission of the 2010,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION :

Article 1

Umeå (Sweden) and Riga (Latvia) are designated as “European Capital of Culture 2014”.

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.