/ world today news/ The independent selection commission, which evaluates the Bulgarian cities competing for “European Capital of Culture” for 2019, recommended that the title be awarded to Plovdiv, reports the Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria.
The other three cities approved after the first round of the competition in December 2013 were Sofia, Varna and Veliko Tarnovo.
The official nomination of Plovdiv by the EU Council of Ministers is expected to take place in May 2015.
“I congratulate Plovdiv both for winning the competition and for being the first European Capital of Culture in Bulgaria. The competition was tough, with 8 initial applicants from which 4 finalists were selected. I am convinced that visitors from Europe and the whole world will be able not only to discover the sights of Plovdiv, but also to appreciate the cultural diversity, history and values of our continent. I am convinced that the title will bring Plovdiv and its surroundings significant long-term cultural, economic and social benefits, as we have seen with the previous European Capitals of Culture”, said the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth Andrula Vassiliou.
In accordance with the decision of the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers of the EU, which defines the criteria for receiving the title “European Capital of Culture”, Bulgaria and Italy are the two countries that will share the title in 2019. The final selection of a city in Italy will take place in October.
The criteria state that the cities should prepare a cultural program with an emphasized European dimension and stimulate the participation of citizens from the city and the whole country. The program must have a lasting impact and contribute to long-term cultural and social development.
The European dimension is reflected in the selected topics and the way the events in the program are organized. Cooperation between cultural environments from different EU countries is encouraged.
The selection process for a European Capital of Culture starts with a pre-selection phase, after which a list of initially approved cities is drawn up. The final decision is made nine months later. The city selected by the selection committee is then officially designated by the EU Council of Ministers.
The commission that evaluates the cities’ applications is made up of 13 independent experts in the field of culture: six of whom are appointed by the state and the remaining seven by the European institutions.
Currently, the members appointed by the institutions of the European Union are as follows:
• Appointed by the European Commission: Suzana Žilić Fischer (Slovenia), professor and head of the “Media Communications” department at the University of Maribor and general director of “Maribor European Capital of Culture for 2012”; Ulrich Fuchs (Germany), deputy artistic director of Linz 2009 and Marseille-Provence 2013.
• Appointed by the Council: Anu Kivilo (Estonia), Managing Director of the Arvo Pärt International Center; Norbert Riedl (Austria), Head of Culture at the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Art and Culture.
• Appointed by the European Parliament: Jordi Pardo (Spain), responsible for cultural projects in the field of international culture; Steve Green (UK), who has extensive experience in international cultural relations and the role of culture and languages in society, gained from his work at the European Network of National Institutes of Culture (EUNIC) and the British Council.
• Appointed by the Committee of the Regions: Elisabeth Vituch (Austria), representative of the Committee for Culture and Education at the Committee of the Regions and member of the Vienna City Council.
The European capitals of culture this year are Jumea (Sweden) and Riga (Latvia), in 2015 they will be Mons (Belgium) and Pilsen (Czech Republic). Wroclaw (Poland) and Donostia San Sebastian (Spain) in 2016, Aarhus (Denmark) and Paphos (Cyprus) in 2017 and La Valletta (Malta) and Leeuwarden (Netherlands) in 2018.
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