ECoC40: 40 years of European Capitals of Culture
White paper on the future of the European Capitals of Culture presented in Chemnitz
40 impulses for the further development of Europe's largest cultural programme
The white paper "40 recommendations from 40 years of European Capitals of Culture" was presented in Chemnitz today, Friday. The paper, initiated by Chemnitz and Nova Gorica, the two European Capitals of Culture 2025, contains 40 concrete proposals that are to be incorporated into the redesign of the legal basis of the programme.
The white paper is based on a comprehensive study that summarises the findings of management and artistic directors from 64 past and future European Capitals of Culture. The study recommends adjustments in four key areas.
- Strengthening European cooperation: The European dimension is to be firmly anchored as a central selection criterion. A uniform branding is also proposed, supported by a mandatory but customisable European logo.
- Simplify selection and monitoring processes: The bureaucratic burden for applicant cities is to be reduced. Instead of time-consuming on-site visits, a fact-based review process is recommended that enables a fair and transparent evaluation.
- Ensure long-term implementation: The concepts formulated in the application book ("Bidbook") should represent binding obligations in future. In addition, a revision of the Melina Mercouri Prize is suggested so that Capitals of Culture receive financial support at an early stage. At the same time, national governments should be made more responsible for supporting winning cities in the realisation of the title year and the long-term legacy.
- Sharing experiences better: A platform supported by the European Union should enable the exchange of best practice. There is also a call for bid books and evaluation reports to be made publicly available.
These recommendations were discussed intensively at the Europe-wide conference in Chemnitz on 4 April. They will now be forwarded to the European Commission, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament in order to initiate the further reform process.
The white paper will be presented at the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday 13 May at 7.30 pm. Dr Valentina Montalto, Scientific Director and Ph.D., Professor of Cultural Economics and Policy, will present the White Paper, accompanied by Lord Mayor Sven Schulze. The event is being organised in cooperation with Members of the European Parliament from Slovenia and Saxony. The programmes of the European Capitals of Culture 2025, Chemnitz and Nova Gorica, will also be presented there. Panel discussions will provide an opportunity to discuss the future development of the European Capitals of Culture programme.
The scientists of the project
Dr Valentina Montalto (Scientific Director)
Dr Valentina Montalto is Associate Professor of Cultural Economics and Policy at the KEDGE Business School in Paris. With 15 years of international experience, she has worked on the Culture 2030 indicators for UNESCO, among others. The framework was developed to measure the role of culture in sustainable development worldwide.
She also led the "Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor" project at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and was a Senior Advisor at KEA. The independent consultancy agency based in Brussels specialises in cultural and creative industries.
Dr Valentina Montalto has developed an extensive series of academic and professional publications on the measurement of cultural and creative industries and creative cities.
Camilla Donà dalle Rose
Camilla Donà dalle Rose holds a Master's degree in Management of Cultural Heritage and Cultural Activities and is currently pursuing a PhD in Cultural Heritage Sciences at the Department of Antiquities of the Sapienza University of Rome. Her research focuses on culture and urban regeneration, in particular on the role of libraries as agents of social cohesion and community building.
She worked as a project assistant at the Secretariat of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) and is currently collaborating with the Municipality of Milan to further develop and strengthen its activities as a UNESCO Creative City of Literature.
As a research assistant in the project "40 recommendations from 40 years of ECoC", she is analysing the long-term impact of the European Capital of Culture initiative.
Dr Mojca Stubelj Ars
Dr Mojca Stubelj Ars is the director of Xcenter, a creative centre within GO! 2025, the European Capital of Culture Nova Gorica - Gorizia. With a transdisciplinary approach, creativity and innovation, she produces and curates various artistic projects and places a special focus on addressing young people and working with the community.
Dr Mojca Stubelj Ars holds a PhD in Environmental Sciences and has conducted research at the University of Nova Gorica (Slovenia), Roskilde University (Denmark) and the University of Hawaii at Manoa (USA). She is an expert in various fields of environmental science, ecology, environmentally conscious behaviour and sustainable tourism. She comes from the start-up scene and is also an expert in early language learning and a developer of new pedagogical approaches that apply the principle of "learning through play".
As part of the project "40 recommendations from 40 years of ECoC", she carried out the statistical analysis of the survey results.
Roberta Ferrarini
Roberta Ferrarini is a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Management of the Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna. She works with the GIOCA research group on the management and innovation of cultural and artistic organisations. Her research focuses on sustainable urban heritage, policy impact assessment and the role of cultural industries for sustainable development.
She has contributed to several EU-funded projects, including the Horizon 2020 project "UNCHARTED", which aimed to better capture and promote the values and impact of culture and arts on society and the economy. She was also involved in the "Una Museums" project within the Una Europa consortium, which aimed to develop a network of museums in Europe and promote innovative approaches to the management and use of museums.
She is currently involved in the project "40 recommendations from 40 years of European Capitals of Culture", analysing the long-term impact of the European Capital of Culture initiative.
The two European Capitals of Culture 2025 Chemnitz and Nova Gorica/Gorizia are hosting a conference of the same name at the Carlowitz Congress Centre Chemnitz on 4 April to mark the anniversary of "40 years of European Capitals of Culture". The focus will be on the presentation of the white paper "40 recommendations from 40 years of ECoC: Insights for the European Capitals of Culture from 2034". It is intended to form the basis for a new legal foundation for the European Capitals of Culture.
200 participants from various European countries are expected to attend, including representatives from around 50 European Capitals of Culture, delegates from the European Parliament, the European Council, the European Commission and the federal and state governments. The conference language is English.
The conference marks the start of a process designed to ensure the continued existence and further development of Europe's largest cultural project. In a joint research project, Chemnitz and Nova Gorica have conducted a comprehensive study among the management and artistic directors of former and future European Capitals of Culture. Under the direction of Italian researcher Valentina Montalto from the KEDGE Business School in Paris, an Italian-Slovenian team interviewed 64 of the 82 cities that have held or will hold the title of European Capital of Culture about their experiences and perspectives.
The findings are summarised in 40 theses in the "Chemnitz White Paper" guidelines and are being incorporated into the revision of the European directive on the scope of the European Capitals of Culture. The aim is to strengthen the European dimension, simplify the selection and monitoring process and ensure long-term implementation. In addition, the Melina Mercouri Prize is to be revised in order to facilitate early funding.
The dialogue between the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament will begin in autumn 2025, with the revised directive to be adopted by 2027 and apply to cities that will hold the title from 2034.
ECoC - European Capitals of Culture
Conference in Chemnitz on 4 April 2025
Presentation of the white paper "40 recommendations from 40 years of ECoC"
40 years of connection through culture
In 2025, the European Capital of Culture project, an initiative of the European Union, will celebrate its 40th anniversary. Since 1985, cities have been selected to build bridges between countries through art and culture and to strengthen the diversity of European cultures. The programme was launched by the then Ministers of Culture Melina Mercouri (Greece) and Jack Lang (France).
The programmes of the two European Capitals of Culture 2025 can be found here:
Conference programme
| date | Time of day | Programme item | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, 3 April | 7 pm | Reception by Lord Mayor Sven Schulze | Hartmann Factory |
| Friday, 4 April | 9 am - 4 pm | Panels and working groups Information on participants and moderation | Carlowitz Congress Centre |
| Friday, 4 April | 12:30 pm | Press conference: Presentation of the white paper "40 recommendations from 40 years of ECoC" | Carlowitz Hall, Carlowitz Congress Centre |
| Friday, 4 April | 7 p.m. | Commemorative event "40 years of ECoC" (not open to the public) | Wirkbau |
| Saturday, 5 April | 10 am - 12:30 pm | Tour of projects of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 (e.g. Garage Campus, City by the River) | various locations |
The conference is aimed at a specialist audience. A limited number of places are available for interested citizens for the conference day on 4 April. Registration is required by 27 March via the citizen participation portal. The participation fee is 60 euros and includes catering.
