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 2019

3.11.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 304/1
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 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 Commission,
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (1),
Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (2),
Whereas:
(1) Decision No 1419/1999/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (3) established a Community action for the European Capital of Culture event for the years 2005 to 2019.
(2) A study into the results achieved by the European City of Culture event until 2004 showed that it had a positive impact in terms of media resonance, the development of culture and tourism and the recognition by inhabitants of the importance of their city having been designated; however, the action still needs to be improved, particularly with regard to its long-term effect on the cultural development of the city and region concerned.
(3) By enabling cities to involve their surrounding region, including any islands, a wider public can be reached and the impact of the event can be amplified.
(4) The stakeholders in the event stressed problems in the selection process laid down in Decision No 1419/1999/EC, and recommended monitoring the proposals, particularly in order to enhance their European dimension, improving competition, and redefining the role of the panel.
(5) The importance and impact of the European Capital of Culture calls for the creation of a mixed selection process, involving national and European levels, and the introduction of a strong monitoring and consultative element, to incorporate a national component and strengthen the European dimension.
(6) The preparation phase of the event is of crucial importance for its success in accordance with the objectives of the action.
(7) To guarantee the European added value of the action, a monitoring phase after the designation is needed, in which, first, care is taken to fulfil the criteria laid down for the cultural programme and, second, expert advice and assistance is provided.
(8) A panel of six national and seven European experts should be established; the whole panel comprising 13 experts (the selection panel) should oversee the selection phase up to the designation of the city; only the seven European experts on the panel (the monitoring and advisory panel) should oversee the monitoring process and give guidance to the European Capitals of Culture during the monitoring phase up to the event.
(9) For support and assistance, for both the applicant and designated cities, a website should be set up, constantly maintained and regularly updated by the Commission, on the subject of European Capitals of Culture (application, selection, implementation and links).
(10) It is important to encourage the dissemination of good practice, especially to guarantee the European added value of the action. Therefore, networks of former official European Capitals of Culture should be encouraged to play a constructive role in sharing their experiences and best practice with future European Capitals of Culture, notably on the basis of exchanges during the preparation phase.
(11) It is important to reward the quality of the programme in terms of the objectives and criteria of the action and particularly the European added value by awarding a pecuniary prize.
(12) To safeguard the long-term effect of the European Capital of Culture event it is desirable to use the initiative, and the structures and capacities that it creates, as the basis for a lasting cultural development strategy for the cities concerned.
(13) To enable third countries to take part in European cultural initiatives, the European Cultural Month (4), or a comparable initiative, should be explored.
(14) The designation process laid down in this Decision needs a period of six years to be implemented; this six-year period cannot be guaranteed for the years 2011 and 2012 given that this Decision enters into force in 2007. For these years, a designation process is therefore provided.
(15) In the interests of clarity, Decision No 1419/1999/EC should be repealed and replaced by this Decision,