European Capital of Culture

The European Capital of Culture is a designation that the European Commission attributes every year to two cities in different European countries.

Every three years, a European third city that is not a part of the EU also receives the designation. During the year in which the cities are European Capitals of Culture, they develop an intense cultural agenda that brings new creative energy into their territory and region.

In addition to boosting the local cultural ecosystem, the European Capital of Culture promotes the regeneration of cities and reinforces their international recognition, while also contributing to a greater sense of belonging in their inhabitants and renewing the city’s touristic potential.

The European Commission has decided that two cities will be European Capital of Culture in 2027 – one in Portugal and one in Latvia.

In November 2020, the Portuguese Ministry of Culture published the call for applications. Cities interested in participating in each of the countries should submit a proposal focused on creating a cultural program with a strong European dimension. They have twelve months – that is, until November 2021 – to do so.

Each country convenes a jury that evaluates the candidate cities. During the pre-selection phase, this panel of cultural experts evaluates the first version of the application dossier and selects the cities that move to the next phase, asking them for more detailed information.

The jury meets again to evaluate the final versions of the application dossier, elaborates a report and recommends one city per host country for the title of European Capital of Culture.

Upon analysis, the international jury will make the final decision between the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023.

From that moment on, the designated city has four years to prepare for the year during which it will be the European Capital of Culture.