CELEX: 52013DC0248
Language: en
Date: 2013-05-02 00:00:00
Title: Recommendation for a COUNCIL DECISION designating the European Capital of Culture for the year 2017 in Denmark and in Cyprus and the European Capital of Culture for the year 2018 in Malta

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		52013DC0248
		
			Recommendation for a COUNCIL DECISION designating the European Capital of Culture for the year 2017 in Denmark and in Cyprus and the European Capital of Culture for the year 2018 in Malta /* COM/2013/0248 final */
			
				
		
		
			
			   	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. Denmark and Cyprus are entitled to host
the event in 2017. Malta is one of the two Member States entitled to host the
event in 2018, alongside the Netherlands, and decided to proceed with its selection
procedure one year ahead of the normal time schedule.
The nomination for European Capitals of
Culture concerning the years 2017 and 2018 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, each
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 Aarhus (Denmark) and Paphos
(Cyprus) host the event in 2017 in its respective reports dated September 2012
and that Valletta (Malta) host the event in 2018 in its report dated November
2012. The three Member States notified these nominations to the European
Parliament, the Council, the Commission and the Committee of the Regions in the
Autumn 2012.
The European Parliament forwarded its
positive opinions to the Commission in February 2013. 
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 Aarhus and Paphos for the 2017
European Capital of Culture event in Denmark and Cyprus respectively and for
the official designation of Valletta for the 2018 European Capital of Culture
event in Malta.
Recommendation for a
COUNCIL DECISION
designating the European Capital of
Culture for the year 2017 in Denmark and in Cyprus and the European Capital of
Culture for the year 2018 in Malta
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,
Having regard
to the Selection Panel reports of September 2012 regarding the selection
process of the European Capitals of Culture in Denmark and Cyprus,
Having regard
to the Selection Panel report of November 2012 regarding the selection process
of the European Capital of Culture in Malta, 
Whereas : 
Considering
that the criteria referred to in Article 4 of Decision No1622/2006/EC are
entirely fulfilled,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: 
Article 1
Aarhus and Paphos are designated as
“European Capital of Culture 2017” respectively in Denmark and Cyprus.
Valletta is designated as “European Capital
of Culture 2018” in Malta.
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 304 of 3.11.2006, p. 1.