REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Ex Post evaluation of the 2019 European Capitals of Culture (Plovdid and Matera)
Date: 2021-08-27
Institutions: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission
Subjects: Basilicata, Bulgaria, EU action, European cultural event, European symbol, Italy, Plovdiv region, capital city

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 27.8.2021  COM(2021) 493 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Ex Post evaluation of the 2019 European Capitals of Culture (Plovdid and Matera) {SWD(2021) 232 final}  
 
 
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE 
COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE 
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS  

Ex Post evaluation of the 2019 European Capitals of Culture (Plovdiv and Matera) 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

This report is presented in accordance with  Article 12 of Decision No 1622/2006/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 20191 (here after, the 
Decision),  which  provides  that  the  Commission  ensures  each  year  an  external  and 
independent evaluation of the results of the European Capital of Culture event of the previous 
year2 and reports on that evaluation to the relevant EU Institutions and bodies. 

The findings and methodology of the ex post evaluation are presented more comprehensively 
in the accompanying Commission staff working-document. 

2. 

BACKGROUND TO THE ACTION 

The EU Action for the European Capital of Culture (ECOC) 

2.1. 
Since the launch – at intergovernmental level – of the European City of Culture in 19853, the 
scheme  developed  into  a  fully-fledged  EU  Action  in  19994.  It  is  currently  governed  by 
Decision  No 445/2014/EU5,  but  cities  which  were  designated  as  ECOC  for  the  years  up  to 
2019 are regulated by Decision No 1622/2006/EC. 

The  ECOC  Action  is  designed  to  highlight  the  richness  and  diversity  of  cultures  in  Europe 
and  the  features  they  share,  thereby  encouraging  a  greater  mutual  understanding  among 
European  citizens.  It  is  also  meant  to  stimulate  a  long-term  culture-based  development  of 
cities.  In  achieving  these  objectives,  the  ECOC  Action  is  intended  to  help  host  cities  to 
enhance  the  range,  diversity  and  European  dimension  of  their  cultural  offer,  widen 
participation in culture among their residents, strengthen the capacity of their cultural sector 
and raise their international profile.  

2.2. 

The selection and monitoring of the ECOC 2019 

In accordance with the Decision, Bulgaria and Italy were the two Member States entitled to 
host an ECOC in 2019.  

In accordance with Decision No 1622/2006/EC, the selection process starts at least six years 
ahead of the ECOC tittle-year, with the relevant authorities in the Member States concerned 
(i.e. their respective Ministries of Culture) publishing a  call for  applications from  interested 
cities in their country. The selection is in two phases: shortlisting and final recommendation, 

1  OJ L 304 of 3.11.2006, p. 1. 
2  Full 

text  of 
01aa75ed71a1. 

the  evaluation  at:  https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/e501d588-3a96-11eb-b27b-

3  Resolution of the Ministers responsible for Cultural Affairs, meeting within the Council, of 13 June 1985 concerning the 

annual event 'European City of Culture' (85/C 153/02). 

4  Decision No 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 2019 (OJ L 166, 1.7.1999, p.1). That Decision was 
amended by Decision 649/2005/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 117, 4.5.2005). 

5  Decision No 445/2014/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 establishing a Union Action 

for the European Capitals of Culture for the years 2020 to 2033 (OJ L 132, 3.5.2014). 

1 

 
 
                                                           
respectively five and four years in advance of the title year. A panel of thirteen members – six 
of whom nominated by the Member State concerned and the other seven by European Union 
institutions  and  bodies  –  assesses  the  bids  submitted  by  candidate  cities  on  the  basis  of  the 
objectives and criteria laid down in the Decision.  

In  Italy,  the  Ministry  of  Cultural  Heritage  and  Activities  and  Tourism  issued  the  call  in 
November  2012.  It  received  a  record  number  of  21  applications  by  the  deadline  of  20 
September 2013, which illustrates the high popularity and strong attractiveness of the ECOC 
title in the country. At the pre-selection meeting in November 2013, the panel recommended 
the ministry to invite six cities to the final stage: Cagliari, Lecce, Matera, Perugia, Ravenna 
and  Siena.  Finally,  in  October  2014,  the  panel  recommended  that  Matera  be  awarded  the 
ECOC 2019 title in Italy6.  

In  Bulgaria,  the  Ministry  of  Culture  published  the  call  in  December  2012,  and  eight  cities 
entered the competition by the deadline of 18 October 2013. At the pre-selection meeting in 
December 2013, four of them were short-listed: Plovdiv, Sofia, Varna and Veliko Tarnovo. In 
September 2014, the panel recommended that Plovdiv become the first city in Bulgaria to get 
the ECOC title. 

The Council of the European Union formally designated Matera and Plovdiv as ECOC 2019 
in May 20157. 

Subsequently,  both  cities  were  subjected  to  monitoring  arrangements:  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Commission,  the  aim  of  such  arrangements  was  for  a  panel  consisting  of  the  seven 
independent  experts  appointed  by  the  EU  institutions  and  bodies  to  check  on  the  cities’ 
progress,  provide  them  with  guidance  on  implementation  and  ensure  compliance  with  the 
programme and commitments on the basis of which they had been selected. Representatives 
of Matera and Plovdiv attended two formal monitoring meetings, in October 2016 and April 
2018. Upon completion of the monitoring process, the panel made a positive recommendation 
to the Commission to award a €1.5 million prize in honour of Melina Mercouri to each of the 
two cities. The prize – funded under the Creative Europe programme8 – was paid to the two 
ECOC in the autumn of 2018. 

2.3. 

The themes and focus of the two ECOC 2019 

Matera  is  a  relatively  small  city  of  60,000  inhabitants  located  in  the  Basilicata  region  of 
Southern  Italy.  It  is  the  capital  of  the  Province  of  Matera  and  is  known  as  the  “Città 
Sotteranea”  (the  Underground  City).  Today,  Matera  is  known  worldwide  for  its  historical 
centre,  known  as  “I  Sassi”,  which  became  a  Unesco  World  Heritage  Site  in  1993.  Whilst 
affected by high levels of poverty and infant mortality rates until the 1950s, Matera is also a 
good  example  of  urban  rebirth  and  regeneration,  which  started  in  the  1960s  and  have 
ultimately turned the city into a regional capital for leisure and culture and a destination for 
regional visitors. 

Matera’s ECOC application highlighted the importance of the cultural renovation process, not 
only for Matera, but for the entire South of Italy, in a period characterised by an economic and 
social  decline.  Its  cultural  programme  was  named  “Open  Future”  and  aimed  to  “strengthen 

6  All  panel’s  pre-selection,  selection  and  monitoring  reports  are  available  at:  https://ec.europa.eu/culture/matera-and-

plovdiv 

7   Council  Decision  (EU)  2015/809  of  19  May  2015  designating  the  European  Capitals  of  Culture  for  the  year  2019  in 

Bulgaria and Italy, at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:32015D0809 

8  Regulation  (EU)  No  1295/2013  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  11  December  2013  establishing  the 
Creative  Europe  Programme  (2014  to  2020)  and  repealing  Decisions  No  1718/2006/EC,  No  1855/2006/EC  and  No 
1041/2009/EC (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013). 

2 

 
 
                                                           
broad ranging, open and diversified citizenship; to enhance international relations and above 
all to transform Matera into the most important platform of open culture in Southern Europe”. 

Plovdiv is the second largest city in Bulgaria, with around 347,000 inhabitants. It is Southern 
Bulgaria’s cultural and business centre. The city is unique by its 8,000-year long history and 
is  one  of  the  oldest,  still-inhabited  cities  in  the  world.  It  boasts  numerous  remains  from 
antiquity  and  more  than  200  archaeological  sites  as  twell  as  a  very  vibrant  cultural  scene. 
Economically,  it  is  among  the  fastest  developing  cities  in  Bulgaria,  with  traditions  in 
manufacturing, commerce, transport, communications and tourism. 

The city also stands out with its multi-ethnic population, being a home for Bulgarians, Turks, 
Greeks,  Armenians,  Jews  and  Roma  people.  This  aspect  of  the  city  context  became  a 
fundamental part of the ECOC application and overall programme and is where some of the 
main  themes  and  projects  were  focused.  The  diversity  of  Plovdiv  was  also  reflected  in  its 
ECOC  motto,  “Together”,  inspired  by  the  co-existence  of  different  ethnic  minorities,  social 
groups and religious communities. 

3. 

EVALUATION  

3.1. 

The terms of the evaluation 

Based  on  the  external  and  independent  support  study  mentioned  in  the  introduction  (see 
footnote 2), the evaluation explores the implementation and delivery of the two ECOC 2019 
programmes  throughout  their  lifecycle,  from  their  early  inception  through  to  sustainability 
and legacy considerations. 

Specifically, it assesses the relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of the two ECOC 2019. It 
also  examines  the  EU  added  value  and  the  coherence  and  complementarity  of  the  ECOC 
Action in 2019 to other EU initiatives. Finally, it  draws conclusions emerging from the two 
experiences.  

3.2.  Methodology and limitations of the approach chosen 

The  evaluation  and  its  methodology  were  designed  to  satisfy  the  requirements  of  the 
Decision,  and  to  contribute  to  a  more  detailed  understanding  of  the  performance  and 
achievements  of  the  ECOC  Action.  In  particular,  it  constitutes  a  valuable  opportunity  to 
critically  reconsider  the  past  year  in  order  to  highlight  lessons  and  recommendations  for 
reshaping current wisdom and insights in the light of the new experiences of the host cities. 

As  for  all  previous  evaluations,  the  intervention  logic  is  based  on  a  hierarchy  of  objectives 
corresponding to the Decision. 

In  order  for  results  to  be  comparable,  the  methodology  for  this  evaluation  followed  the 
approach  for  evidence  gathering  and  analysis  adopted  in  all  previous  assessments  of  the 
ECOC  Action.  However,  due  to  the  COVID-19  outbreak  in  the  first  half  of  2020,  the 
methodology had to be slightly revised, as initially planned visits to both cities could not take 
place  and  face-to-face  interviews  were  replaced  by  remote  ones  and  online  meetings  with 
stakeholders. 

The evaluation was grounded in two types of data and respective sources: 

-  Primary  data  included  either  data  provided  by  each  ECOC  such  as  interviews  and 
online questionnaires; interviews in particular sought to gain a variety of perspectives 
on  each  ECOC,  including  those  of  the  management  teams,  decision-makers,  key 
cultural operators, a range of partners involved in the delivery of the programme and a 
sample of organisations either leading or participating in the actual projects; 

3 

 
 
-  Secondary data sources encompassed EU policy and legislative documents, academic 
research on ECOC and the role of culture in cities development, the two ECOC 2019 
original  bids,  internal  reports  linked  to  the  application  processes,  monitoring  and 
evaluation  reports,  studies  and  annual  reports  produced  or  commissioned  by  the 
ECOC,  events  programmes,  promotional  materials  and  websites,  as  well  as  key 
statistical  data  collected  by  the  two  cities  on  budgets  and  spend  details,  projects 
numbers and types, participation levels and audience figures, outputs and results; 
-  The  evaluation  does  not  include  a  wider  public  consultation.  As  explained  in  the 
corresponding  roadmap9,  the  Action  is  considered  to  be  local,  and  international 
participation is scattered within and outside Europe and is difficult to reach. 

As  was  the  case  with  all  previous  ex-post  ECOC  evaluations10,  the  Commission  maintains 
that  the  methodology  chosen  is  appropriate  to  provide  a  reasonably  solid  basis  on  which 
sensible conclusions may be inferred regarding the ECOC performance. 

However, as was already highlighted in all reports of previous years, the lack of baseline data 
to be integrated in a comparative study of the city prior to the win of the title, at the start of 
title-year and after the implementation  of the ECOC  year continue to  be a limitation. These 
data are crucial to get a balanced perspective, supported by a cogent and ample data basis, of 
the actual impact of the ECOC Action on a city.  

However the budget  allocated to  the evaluation  work (approximately 70  000 €  each  year)  – 
which is proportionate to the modest level of EU funding directly provided by the EU to each 
ECOC  host  (€1.5m  Melina  Mercouri  Prize)  –  doesn't  make  it  possible  to  have  a  before 
('baseline')  study  and  an  after-picture  ('ex-post')  study.  An  additional  consequence  of  the 
modest budget is that the primary evidence data gathering tends to be more of qualitative than 
quantitative nature; while qualitative data still holds a great importance in the evaluation, the 
lack  of  diversity  of  data  sources  translates  into  a  lesser  dependability,  for  instance,  in  the 
process of proving the objective outcomes and impacts of ECOC on widening participation in 
culture. 

Therefore,  the  report  and  its  conclusions  are  substantiated  by  an  ample  basis  of  qualitative 
data  (e.g.  the  views  of  various  types  of  stakeholders)  more  than  by  a  comprehensive 
quantitative set of data. 

The  Commission  can  only  reiterate  in  this  report  what  it  repeatedly  expressed  in  previous 
yearly  reports  on  ECOC  ex  post  evaluations  since  2007,  i.e.  that  it  is  fully  aware  of  –  and 
accepts  –  those  limitations,  which  had  also  been  clearly  identified  and  communicated  in  a 
staff  working  document  accompanying  the  proposal  for  a  new  Decision  of  the  European 
Parliament and of the Council establishing a Union Action for the ECOC for the years 2020 to 
2033 and repealing Decision No 1622/2006/EC11.  

As  mentioned  in  its  previous  reports,  with  regard  to  this  difficulty,  this  proposal  and  the 
Decision  ultimately  adopted  by  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council12  foresee  that  the 
designated  cities  themselves  –  which  are  the  main  funders  and  beneficiaries  of  the  ECOC 
Action and better positioned to have baseline data and gather primary data on the impact of 
the  title  –  become  the  main  implementers  of  the  evaluation  process.  To  help  cities  in  this 

9  See: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/initiatives/ares-2019-3143701_en.  
10 This is the 12th yearly ex post evaluations in as many years. 
11  See SWD (2012) 226 final, point 2.4.4. 
12  Decision 445/2014/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council, see footnote n° 5. 

4 

 
 
 
                                                           
exercice, the Commission published guidelines13, which underline the importance of carrying 
longitudinal evaluations and the need for baselines to measure impact. 

This new obligation put on the ECOC-cities – instead of the Commission – to perform an ex 
post  evaluation  of  their  title-year  will  apply  only  from  the  2020  titles.  On  top  of  these 
evaluations carried out directly by the title-holders, the Commission will, however, also carry 
out an overall evaluation encompassing several ECOC years, enabling to better measure the 
long-term impact of the ECOC Action, as indicated in Decision No 445/2014/EU. 

It is also worth underlining that the outcomes of the local research activities commissioned by 
both Plovdiv and Matera fed into the Commission’s evaluation whenever possible. 

In conclusion, despite the deficiency of quantitative data and other independent evidence, the 
Commission finds a sufficient solidity in the evidence gathered to support the evaluation and 
shares its overall assessment and deductions, which are considered to provide a generally true 
and informed picture of the ECOC 2019. 

4. 

MAIN FINDINGS 

4.1. 

Relevance 

According  to  the  findings  of  the  evaluation,  the  objectives  of  both  2019  ECOC  cities  were 
relevant to the objectives of the ECOC Action, as set out in Decision No 1622/2006/EC.  

The  programme  of  both  Matera  2019  and  Plovdiv  2019  promoted  cultural  diversity  and  a 
greater  understanding  among  European  citizens,  especially  in  terms  of  process,  but  also  in 
terms of content. 

In  Matera,  this  was  done  through  the  involvement  of  almost  200  international  artists,  the 
implementation  of  over  1,000  international  mobility  programmes,  artistic  residencies,  the 
integration of international  events  into the programme etc.. The programme also  reached its 
initial  objectives,  as  expresssed  in  the  initial  application,  in  radically  changing  Matera’s 
approach  to  culture  and  its  role  in  the  national  and  European  cultural  scene  and  (at  least 
partially)  driving  a  cultural  renovation  process  through  the  active  involvement  of  local 
cultural operators and citizens (see 4.3).  

As far as Plovdiv is concerned, over 130 partnerships with creative organisations from Europe 
were established and a total of 80 events had a cross-border dimension in 2019, which is four 
times higher than the number of such events during the baseline year 2017. Plovdiv reached 
its  goals  to  significantly  diversify  its  cultural  offer  through  such  a  stronger  presence  of 
European and international artists, develop cultural capacity (see 4.3) and – to a lesser degree 
– better include the Roma community (an important proportion of Plovdiv population) in the 
city’s  cultural  life  despite  some  encouraging  results  (see  accompanying  staff-working 
document). 

4.2. 

Efficiency 

Overall, the available evidence suggests that ECOC remains an efficient EU Action providing 
good levels of returns at EU level for a relatively modest EU investment: the awarding of the 
title itself has a substantial leverage effect on the amount of funding that host cities dedicate 
to designing and delivering the ECOC cultural programme, and it is a significant generator of 
interest  and  financing  from  a  broad  array  of  stakeholders,  including  local,  regional  and 
national authorities and – to a lesser degree with the 2019 hosting cities – private contributors. 
Moreover, the absolute value of the Melina Mercouri Prize, which is the only direct monetary 

13 See: https://ec.europa.eu/culture/sites/default/files/2021-04/ecoc-guidelines-for-cities-own-evaluations-2020-2033.pdf 

5 

 
 
                                                           
contribution that host cities receive from the European Union, is modest (€1,5m per ECOC) in 
comparison  to  the  overall  costs  of  an  ECOC:  the  operating  expenditure  of  the  ECOC  2019 
were approximately of €54.8m for Matera and €10.0m for Plovdiv. 

At  city  level,  the  evaluation  concludes  that  both  Matera  and  Plovdiv  faced  difficulties  with 
management  arrangements  in  the  preparation  period.  On  a  positive  side,  there  was  a  clear 
distinction of roles and responsibilities within the teams of both foundations in charge of the 
implementation  of  the  ECOC  project.  This  ensured  a  mostly  smooth  delivery  of  the  ECOC 
programmes  in  the  title  year  once  the  initial  difficulties  had  been  overcome.  Matera  raised 
sufficient  funds  to  implement  a  sizeable  cultural  programme  in  line  with  its  initial  forecast 
(€54.8m  against  €52.3m  in  its  application).  The  situation  was  more  challenging  in  Plovdiv, 
where  the  overall  budget  (covering  operating  and  infrastructure)  was  lower  than  the  one 
proposed  in  the  application,  due  in  particular  to  lower  than  expected  contributions  from  the 
private  and  the  City,  but  the  budget  was  nonetheless  sufficient  to  carry  out  an  ambitious 
programme that achieved positive impacts related to tourism and economic growth in the city 
(see below). 

4.3. 

Effectiveness 

The  evaluation  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  the  two  2019  ECOC  made  a  significant 
contribution to the achievement of the Decision’s objectives.  

Both  presented  cultural  programmes  that  were  more  extensive,  diverse,  innovative  and 
international compared to the cultural offer in previous years.  

Both  helped  widen  access  to  and  participation  in  culture.  In  Matera,  the  initial  goal,  which 
was to ensure that a large share of the high number of events organised in 2019 were realised 
with  Matera’s  citizens,  was  achieved.  The  overall  audience  is  estimated  at  500,000  people. 
But,  more importantly, around 60,000 citizens were involved in  the co-creation process  and 
capacity-building programme put in place by the Foundation. In Plovdiv, stimulating access 
to and participation in cultural events was also a strong element of the ECOC project, and the 
cultural  programme  succeeded  in  attracting  1,528,432  people,  including  young  people  from 
deprived  neighbourhoods  and  elderly  people  from  smaller  towns  and  villages  in  the  wider 
Plovdiv region.  

Both ECOC helped strengthen the cultural capacity of their cultural and creative sectors. This 
was  done  through  an  improved  cultural  infrastructure  (mapping  of  about  400  venues  and 
spaces  that  could  be  used  for  cultural  events  in  Matera)  or  dedicated  capacity-building 
programmes  (4,900  participants  took  place  in  the  multi-annual  educational  platform  run  by 
the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation).  

Moreover, the ECOC raised the international  profile of both  cities. In Plovdiv, about  9% of 
people attending ECOC related events were international visitors. Matera 2019 and its cultural 
programme was discussed in almost 58,000 articles in national and international newspapers 
and journals and in approximately 1,300 radio and TV report. 

Positive  impacts  are  expected  with  regard  to  the  legacy  of  the  ECOC  in  both  cities,  as 
significant  efforts  were  made  to  keep  the  momentum  going  after  2019,  though  plans  have 
been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020. 

4.4. 

Coherence 

The ECOC Action is coherent and complementary to the EU Creative Europe Programme, in 
that  it  promotes  the  objectives  of  Creative  Europe  and  is  distinct  from  the  other  activities 
supported by the programme. As an example, Plovdiv was part of a capacity-building project 
funded under Creative Europe, the European Academy of Outdoor Arts School of Spectacle, 

6 

 
 
aiming to give creative practitioners a better understanding of the possibilities of outdoor art 
celebrations.  The  ECOC  Action  is  also  coherent  with  and  complementary  to  the  European 
Cohesion  Policy  Funds.  As  an  illustration,  in  cooperation  with  Leeuwarden  (ECOC  2018), 
Aarhus  (ECOC  2017)  and  other  European  partners,  Matera  implemented  the  ‘Night  Light’ 
Interreg project, aiming at bringing together key lessons and practices experienced in different 
European contexts related to reducing light pollution.  

4.5. 

EU added value 

As  already  mentioned  and  illustrated  above,  the  ECOC  Action  has  achieved  an  impact  that 
would not have arisen through the actions of Member States alone. 

The evidence from both cities shows that the ECOC provides titleholders with the impetus to 
implement more extensive cultural programmes than they would otherwise do (1,300 events 
and projects implemented in Matera 2019, 80% of which consisting in original creations; 513 
cultural  events  in  Plovdiv,  some  of  them  being  ambitious  productions  that  were  praised  by 
audiences and critics alike). The title also helps them attract resources from the public purse 
(but to quite a lesser degree from the private sector) (see 4.2) and increase their international 
profile (see 4.3). The European Commission plays a key role in promoting the ECOC Action 
via publications, events and the Europa website, albeit with relatively limited resources. These 
activities support the ECOCs’ own promotional activities.  

5. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The Commission concludes from the evaluation that the ECOC Action remains relevant at EU 
level  as  well  as  greatly  valuable  for  host  cities,  and  that  it  generates  extensive  cultural 
programmes with positive outputs and impacts that cannot, however, be fully assessed at the 
current  evaluation  stage,  so  shortly  after  the  end  of  the  ECOC  year.  The  intention  of  the 
Commission is  to  assess these outputs and impacts  in  a broader perspective at  a later stage, 
within  the  framework  of  the  long-term  evaluation  it  will  conduct  in  2024,  as  specified  in 
Article 16 of Decision 445/2014/EU. 

Another conclusion is that the programmes implemented by the two 2019 title-holders were 
consistent with the objectives of the ECOC Action. They reflected its European dimension, in 
particular  through  the  connections  made  at  European  and  international  levels.  Furthermore, 
they involved local residents and stakeholders while  widening access to  and participation in 
culture.  They  also  helped  strengthen  the  cultural  capacity  of  the  local  cultural  and  creative 
sectors. 

These  findings  confirm  those  that  emerged  from  all  previous  ECOC  evaluations,  i.e.  that 
ECOC  title-holders  carry  out  cultural  programmes  that  are  more  extensive  and  innovative 
than the cities' usual  annual  cultural  offer, with  a strong European dimension  and involving 
local citizens as well as international visitors, in line with the objectives of the Treaty and the 
ECOC Action. 

After  twelve  years  of  similar  yearly  ex  post  evaluations  covering  the  ECOC  titles  2007  to 
2019, the evaluator produced a very limited number of recommendations (i.e., just five). Only 
three  of  them  are  addressed  to  the  Commission.  The  evaluator  recommends  that  the 
Commission consider placing stronger emphasis on the sustainability aspect of the action and, 
in particular, on the capacity building of cultural operators in this respect. Sustainability is an 
ongoing  concern,  which  is  to  a  great  extent  already  reflected  in  Decision  No  445/2014/EU. 
The  latter  makes  it  an  obligation  for  bidding  cities  to  have  in  place,  at  the  time  of  their 
application,  a  cultural  strategy  that  covers  their  ECOC  project  and  includes  plans  for 
sustaining  the  cultural  activities  beyond  the  title-year.  The  bidding  cities’s  plans  to 

7 

 
 
strenghthen the capacity of their cultural and creative sectors is also a criterion for the ward of 
the ECOC title.  

In line with another recommendation of the evaluator, the Commission, with the help of the 
ECOC  Expert  panel,  has  already  produced  a  clear  and  harmonised  minimum  set  of  Key 
Performance  Indicators  that  the  title  cities  can  use  to  report  on  their  performance.  The 
guidelines are mentioned in the questionnaire bidding cities have to fill in when bidding for 
the title. 

In  line  with  the  third  recommendation  addressed  by  the  evaluator  to  the  Commission,  the 
Commission  will  continue  inviting  the  title  cities  to  collaborate  in  the  development  of  a 
common international communication campaign to increase efficiency. 

Finally,  as  suggested  by  the  evaluator  in  relation  with  national  authorities,  the  Commission 
will  include  in  the  detailed  guidelines  it  provides  these  authorities  to  help  them  in 
administering  their  respective  competitions,  an  invitation  to  consider  actions  to  facilitate 
coordination  with  stakeholders  and  authorities  at  local,  regional  and  national  levels  and  to 
consider  facilitating  opportunities  for  current  or  potential  applicant  cities  to  exchange 
experience  in  mobilising  financial  resources  and  attracting  private  sponsorship  for  their 
ECOC. 

8