Proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Decision 1419/1999/EC establishing a Community action for the "European Capital of Culture" event for the years 2005 to 2019
Date: 2003-11-17
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU action, European cultural event, cultural promotion, decision-making

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 17.11.2003
COM(2003) 700 final

2003/0274 (COD)

Proposal for a

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

amending Decision 1419/1999/EC establishing a Community action for the “European
Capital of Culture” event for the years 2005 to 2019

(presented by the Commission)

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

The  European  City  of  Culture  was  designed  to  bring  European  peoples  closer  and  was
launched on the initiative of Melina Mercouri by the Council of Ministers on 13 June 1985.
This concept is based on two fundamental facts: firstly, Europe has been and remains a focal
point for exceptionally rich  and diverse artistic and  cultural  development,  and secondly, the
urban phenomenon has played a major role in the development and spread of the cultures of
our continent.

The European Cities of Culture up to 2004 have been selected on an intergovernmental basis;
the Member States unanimously selected cities worthy of hosting the event, and the European
Commission awarded a grant each year to the city selected.

Decision  1419/1999/EC,  of  25  May  19991,  adopted  on  the  basis  of  Article  151  of  the  EC
treaty,  amended  the  procedure  for  selecting  the  successful  cities  from  2005  onwards,  to  be
known as “European Capitals of Culture”. Henceforth, the European Capital of Culture will
be decided each year by the Council on a Commission recommendation, which will take into
account the view of a jury comprising seven prominent independent members, each of them
experts  in  the  culture sector. The  selection will be based  on  criteria  laid  down  in  the  above
Decision.

Community  action  in  support  of  the  European  Capital  of  Culture  initiative  established  by
Decision  1419/1999/EC  is  intended,  according  to  Article  1,  “to  highlight  the  richness  and
diversity  of  European  cultures  and  the  features  they  share,  as  well  as  to  promote  greater
mutual acquaintance between European citizens.”

This action must pursue the following specific objectives:

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to highlight artistic movements and styles shared by Europeans which it has inspired

or to which it has made a significant contribution;

to  promote  events  involving  people  active  in  culture  from  other  cities  in  Member
States  and  leading  to  lasting  cultural  cooperation,  and  to  foster  their  movement
within the European Union,

to support and develop creative work;

to ensure the mobilisation and participation of large sections of the population;

to  encourage  the  reception  of  citizens  of  the  Union  and  the  widest  possible

dissemination of the event;

to  promote  dialogue  between  European  cultures  and  those  from  other  parts  of  the

world;

to exploit the historic heritage, urban architecture and quality of life in the city.

Decision  1419/1999/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  25  May  1999  (OJ  L  166,
1.7.1999).

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Annex I of Decision 1419/199/EC contains a chronological list that determines for each year
from 2005 to 2019 the Member State eligible to nominate a city to host the Cultural Capital
event for that year, out of the current Member States.

Article  2  of  this  Decision  states  that  this  chronological  order  may  be  modified  by  mutual
agreement between the Member States concerned. Such an agreement was reached by Greece
and the Netherlands, who exchanged their positions (2006 now being the year during which a
Greek city will be European Capital of Culture, and 2018 for the capital of the Netherlands)
as the Culture/Audiovisual Council noted during its meeting on 28 May 1998.

In  accordance  with  Article  6  of  Decision  1419/1999/EC,  the  Commission  may  make
proposals  for  revisions  of  the  decision,  specifically  to  adapt  it  to  the  enlargements  of  the
European Union.

The accession treaty signed in Athens on 16 April 2003 provides for the Czech Republic, the
Republic  of  Estonia,  the  Republic  of  Cyprus,  the  Republic  of  Latvia,  the  Republic  of
Lithuania,  the  Republic  of  Hungary,  the  Republic  of  Malta,  the  Republic  of  Poland,  the
Republic  of  Slovenia  and  the  Slovak  Republic  to  become  members  of  the  European  Union
and party to the Treaties upon which the Union is founded, as amended or completed at the
date of entry into force of this Treaty on 1 May 2004, provided that all of the instruments of
ratification have been lodged before this date.

Given the symbolic importance and repercussions of the “European Capital of Culture” event
and the interest expressed by the new Member States in this action, there would seem to be a
need  for  them  to  be  able  to  participate  without  having  to  wait  for  an  update  to  Decision
1419/1999/EC  establishing  a  new  chronological  order  for  the  Member  States  from  2020
onwards.

Moreover, it is important that no changes be made to the existing order for nominations from
Member  States,  because  preparations  for  these  nominations  and  then  for  the  European
Capitals  of  Culture  projects  can  take  several  years.  Under  Article  2  of  Decision
1419/1999/EC, States must submit these nominations no later than four years before the event
in question is due to begin.

This  proposal  is  thus  intended  to  establish  a  new  system  appointing  two  Member  States
eligible to submit nominations each year, so that each one could host a European capital. Each
year, two capitals could therefore be nominated within the European Union in accordance of
Article 2 of Decision 1419/1999/EC, in addition, potentially, to a capital in a third European
Country  (Article  4  of  the  Decision).  It  should  be  noted  that  Article  5  of  Decision
1419/1999/EC  states  that  a  linkage  between  the  programmes  of  the  designated  cities  of  the
same year should be made.

This proposed amendment was prepared with the full cooperation of the Member States and
the  accession  countries,  which  were  able  to  express  their  preferences  during  an  informal
consultation  exercise  launched  by  the  Commission  among  the  new  States  during  2003.  The
other European institutions concerned were also able to express their support for the principle
of such an amendment.

This decision is subject to further amendments.

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The Commission thus hopes to explore other areas for future improvements to the procedure
of  the  European  Capitals  of  Culture  action,  by  launching  a  discussion  exercise  with  the
Parliament  and  the  Council  on  the  method  used  to  select  European  capitals.  In  fact,  the
European  dimension  of  the  projects  submitted  by  cities  selected  in  the  past  was  sometimes
considered to be relatively small; it is important to work together to find means of improving
the European added-value of activities carried out in this context. The study recently launched
by  the  Commission  on  European  Capitals  and  Cities  of  Culture  from  1995-2004  should
provide very useful information in this respect.

The  above  discussion  exercise  should,  nonetheless,  be  kept  separate  from  this  proposed
decision, in order not to slow down its examination in view of the upcoming accession of the
new Member States.

Finally,  in  line  with  Article  6  of  Decision  1419/1999/EC,  a  new  draft  amendment  to  this
decision will have to be prepared so that Bulgaria and Rumania can be incorporated into the
list in Annex I during the next enlargement of the European Union.

The Commission therefore proposes:

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to amend Article 2(1) and Annex I of Decision 1419/1999/EC in order to complete the
chronological order and establish a system whereby two cities in Member States can
be designated European Capitals of Culture each year.

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2003/0274 (COD)

Proposal for a

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

amending Decision 1419/1999/EC establishing a Community action for the “European
Capital of Culture” event for the years 2005 to 2019

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article
151 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission2,

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions3,

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty4,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Decision  1419/1999/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  25  May
1999 establishing a Community action for the “European Capital of Culture” event for
the years 2005 to 20195 is geared towards highlighting the wealth, diversity and shared
characteristics of European cultures and towards contributing to improving European
citizens’ mutual knowledge;

Annex  I  of  Decision  1419/1999/EC  sets  out  the  chronological  order  according  to
which  the  Member  States  can  submit  nominations  for  this  event.  The  said  Annex  is
limited  to  the  Member  States  of  the  European  Union  at  the  time  the  Decision  was
adopted on 25 May 1999;

Article  6  of  Decision  1419/1999/EC  states  that  this  decision  may  be  revised,  in
particular with a view to the future enlargement of the European Union;

In the light of the forthcoming enlargement, it is important to make it possible for the
future  Member  States  as  well  to  submit  nominations  for  cities  in  the  context  of  the
“European Capital of Culture” event within a short period of time, without changing
the order for the existing Member States so that, from 2009 onwards and until the end
of  the  current  Community  action,  two  capitals  may  be  selected  each  year  in  the
Member States;

(5)

Decision 1419/1999/EC should therefore be amended,

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4

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OJ C[...], [...], p. [...].
OJ C[...], [...], p. [...].
OJ C[...], [...], p. [...].
OJ L166, 1.7.1999, p. 1.

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HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Decision 1419/1999/EC is hereby amended as follows:

(1)

Article 2(1) is replaced by:

Cities in Member States shall be designated as “European Capital of Culture”, in turn,
“1.
as set out in the list appearing in Annex I. Up until 2008 inclusive the designation shall apply
to one city of the  Member  State  appearing  on  the  list.  From  2009  onwards,  the  designation
shall apply to one city of each of the Member States appearing on the list. The chronological
order  set  out  in  Annex  I  may  be  altered  by  mutual  agreement  between  the  Member  States
concerned. Each Member State involved shall submit, in turn, its nomination of one or more
cities  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  Commission  and  the  Committee  of  the
Regions.  This  nomination  shall  be  submitted  no  later  than  four  years  before  the  event  in
question  is  due  to  begin  and  may  be  accompanied  by  a  recommendation  from  the  Member
State concerned.”

(2)

Annex I is replaced by the text in the annex to this decision.

Article 2

This Decision shall enter into force on the 20th day following its publication in the Official
Journal of the European Union.

It shall apply from the entry into force of the accession treaty of 2003.

Done at Brussels, […]

For the European Parliament
The President

For the Council
The President

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Annex I

Order of entitlement to nominate a “European Capital of Culture”

2005

Ireland

2006

Greece6

2007

Luxembourg

2008

United Kingdom

2009

Austria

2010

Germany

2011

Finland

2012

Portugal

2013

France

2014

Sweden

Lithuania

Hungary

Estonia

Slovenia

Slovakia

Latvia

2015

Belgium

Czech Republic

2016

Spain

2017

Denmark

2018

Netherlands6

2019

Italy

Poland

Cyprus

Malta

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The  Culture/Audiovisual  Council,  at  its  meeting  of  28  May  1998,  noted  the  exchange  of  positions
between Greece and the Netherlands in accordance with Article 2(1) of Decision 1419/1999/EC.

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