Culture and Education Committee of the EU Parliament visits Chemnitz
Members of the European Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education visited Chemnitz from Monday until midday today to learn about the city's experiences as European Capital of Culture.
Hristo Petrov, Chair of the delegation (Renew, Bulgaria), and Sabrina Repp (S&D, Germany), accompanied by Matthias Ecke, Member of the European Parliament from Saxony, visited the Hallenkunst urban art exhibition, the Munch exhibition in the Chemnitz Art Collections, the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House, the Maker Hub Stadtwirtschaft, the Kulturbahnhof in the Südbahnhof and the Purple Path art and sculpture trail in Hohndorf. The MPs also found out about the transformation of the former tram depot into a garage campus, visited the documentation centre on the NSU complex and explored the district park at Pleißenbach, the largest project in terms of area in the Chemnitz 2025 intervention area programme.
Exchange on white paper on the future of the programme
The programme also included an exchange between the delegation and Lord Mayor Sven Schulze as well as Andrea Pier and Stefan Schmidtke, the managing directors of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH.
One topic was the white paper on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the European Capitals of Culture. The paper, initiated by the two European Capitals of Culture 2025, Chemnitz and Nova Gorica, contains 40 specific proposals that should be incorporated into the reorganisation of the legal basis of the selection process for the future.
Statements
Lord Mayor Sven Schulze: "With the white paper, we want to provide an impetus to help shape the future of this globally unique programme and strengthen its impact in the long term. Some aspects are important to me: I consider the effects beyond the title year to be particularly significant, as the title is primarily a long-term urban development project. Another decisive factor in the success of Chemnitz 2025 was that the city was aware of its responsibility for the entire region with its 38 municipalities and saw them as an equal part of the idea from the very beginning. And last but not least, the exchange within the family of Capitals of Culture with their similar topics and problems is incredibly valuable for us."
Matthias Ecke, SPD, Member of the EU Parliament for Saxony, accompanied the members of the committee: "Chemnitz has reinvented itself time and again - from industrial powerhouse to European Capital of Culture. This history of change and steadfastness is on the European stage today. It is a special moment for me that my home city is currently in the European spotlight."
Andrea Pier, Managing Director of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH: "The title of European Capital of Culture has noticeably changed Chemnitz and the Capital of Culture region. It is a strong impetus for cultural and structural development as well as for European networking on many levels. The members of the European Parliament's Culture and Education Committee were able to see for themselves how tangible European cooperation has become through this project. My wish is that they take this message to Brussels: the European Capitals of Culture are an indispensable instrument for strengthening European cohesion and making the diversity of Europe tangible."
"40 Recommendations"
As part of the 40th anniversary of the European Capitals of Culture programme, the Chemnitz White Paper was presented by researcher Dr Valentina Montalto at the European Parliament in Brussels on 13 May 2025. The publication summarises the results of a Europe-wide research process and provides trend-setting impulses for the future design of the ECoC programme from 2034.
The paper, which originally contained 35 recommendations for action, was expanded following the international conference in Chemnitz on 4 April. Over 200 experts - including programme managers, artistic directors and members of ECoC selection juries - developed five additional proposals in workshops. This resulted in a catalogue of a total of 40 specific recommendations that focus on five central political fields of action ...
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