04-12-2019 15:00
European Capitals of Culture: Impacts, Challenges and Prospects

Spinelli 3G3
CULT committee public hearing
PH_European_capitals_of_culture © European Union 2019 – EP/photographer

The European Capitals of Culture (ECoC) initiative is designed to highlight the richness and diversity of cultures in Europe, celebrate the cultural features Europeans share, increase European citizens' sense of belonging to a common cultural area and foster the contribution of culture to the development of cities.

The hearing focused on the long-term legacy of the ECoC initiative, on the impact of the award on the development of cultural strategies of those cities, their networking and capacity building. It also addressed the issue of how to exploit the potential of the ECoC initiative more efficiently and tackle challenges more affectively, both at programming and organisation levels.