European Capitals of Culture 2007 - 2019

2005/0102(COD)

This “Ex post evaluation of the 2011 European Capitals of Culture (Tallinn and Turku)” is presented in accordance with Article 12 of Decision No 1622/2006/EC which requires that, each year, the Commission shall ensure the external and independent evaluation of the results of the European Capital of Culture (ECOC) event of the previous year.

The report puts forward the Commission's position on the main conclusions and recommendations of the external evaluation of 2011 European Capitals of Culture.

The Commission agrees with the evaluator’s overall recommendations, based on the considerations of the 2011 ECOC but also relating to the implementation of the ECOC Action as a whole. These confirm that the ECOC title remains highly valued, generates extensive cultural programmes and significant impacts. The EU title and financial contribution have a considerable leverage effect, making it a cost-effective and efficient initiative. The Commission shares the evaluator’s overall assessment and accepts its recommendations.

The recommendations are largely in line with the Commission's 2012 proposal establishing a Union action for the European Capitals of Cultural for the years 2020 to 2033 which also takes into account recommendations of the 2010 evaluation in introducing a potential opening of the Action to candidate and potential candidate countries, as well as the obligation for the bidding cities to have a strategy for the cultural development of the city in place at the time of the application.

Lastly, it should be noted that the Commission organised, on 15 October 2012, an exchange of good practices among past, present and future European Capitals of Culture targeted more particularly at future bidding cities, and will maintain its efforts to encourage such positive exchange in the future.