The publication “European Capital of culture”, prepared by the Association AKCIJA, seeks to draw the attention of the BiH public to the potential of the European Capital of Culture (ECOC), the most important programme of the European Union in the field of culture.
Hereby all the actors of the cultural life in the country are invited – cultural workers, cultural organizations and institutions, entrepreneurs and managers in the cultural sector, politicians and administration in the public part of the sector, as well as all the citizens interested in the development of the cultural life of their city – to take into consideration the possibility of BiH cities’ participation in the Programme.
BiH cities haven’t been eligible to participate in the programme, as the country is not an EU member state, nor was in the process of accession to the EU. However, according to the latest revisions in 2014, cities of the candidate states and potential candidate states have gained the right to compete for the status of the European capital of culture. In the second half of 2017, the European Commission will publish a call for the European Capital of Culture 2024 which will entail the BiH cities as eligible candidates.
The European Capital of Culture (ECOC) is the longest-running and most popular cultural programme of the European Union. From 1985 to 2016, 52 cities have borne this prestigious title, and by 2033 another 33 cities will take over the ECOC title. The ECOC is an integral part of the Creative Europe Programme, implemented by the European Commission to support and co-finance the projects in the culture and the audio-visual sector.
More information on the European Capital of Culture programme as well as guidelines for BiH candidate cities, application procedures and criteria can be found at http://bit.ly/1TceObp