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Schechter Silvia-Diana

Faculty of Political Science, University of Bucharest


International Relations & European Studies Department, 2nd yr
Date: The 21st of May 2019
Course: EU Governance

The European Capital of Culture Project

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 2
THE EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE PROJECT .............................................. 3
ECC IN ROMANIA ........................................................................................................... 4
TM21 ................................................................................................................................. 5
FINAL REMARKS ............................................................................................................ 8
Bibliography & References ..................................................................................... 10

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INTRODUCTION

Tolstoy, one of the giants of Russian literature, opens his magnum opus “Anna Karenina”
thus: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
Tolstoy expresses a universal truth about families made up of parents, grandparents, and
children…but what about families of countries? Or better yet federations, unions built on
consensual participation and decision-making. Aren’t unions of states similar to unions
between parents. Don’t federations bear resemblance to bonds between siblings?

Ever since its inception, the EU, the successor of the European Coal and Steel
Community (1951) and the European Economic Community (1957), has strived to find a
suitable solution for achieving long-term peace. The Second World War (1939-1945)
shook to the core the foundations of a peaceful Europe and after the war, a new
foundation had to be laid down. After centuries of interreligious wars, imperial
conquests, Napoleonic and Anti-Napoleonic coalitions, balance of power status quo,
Europe had to be reborn from the ashes. Thanks to the Herculean efforts made by
Europeans and Americans alike, Western Europe rose from the ruins and stood on its
own feet again. Through the US-engineered Marshall Plan (1948), Europe was revived
economically.

What about the relationship between the Axis powers and the Allies? Most of Europe
suffered great humiliations and human casualties at the hands of Nazi Germany.
Animosity had been brewing for too long and reached boiling point in 1945. No lucid
person could have envisioned a postwar France and a postwar Germany working side by
side. But the Versailles Treaty-based treatment of Germany couldn’t be employed again.
If Germany was to be branded a black sheep, an economic void, and a political puppet
once more, then Europe couldn’t attain stability. Postwar Germany was the black sheep
of the family. An outcast. Even so, Europe could not disown its child. Germany was still
part of Europe. Historically. Culturally. Geographically. Germany was Europe and
Europe was Germany.

If Europe was to survive, it would need Germany to trail along. After its partition and the
crystallization of the new borders, a new constellation of states emerged. The map of
Europe was redrawn and wedged between two giants: the US and the USSR. Germany
was split in two and became the foundation of a peaceful Europe. Berlin was the keystone
of the new edifice. If Berlin was to fall then the entire structure of postwar Europe was to
collapse as well.

States had to arrive at a truce of mutual respect and cohabitation. Hence, a new shift of
paradigm came to be. All European states belonging to the free world would become
invariably intertwined in economic matters, then in political matters, judiciary matters,
social matters and cultural ones. By being so closely linked, their dependency would
work as a precondition for maintaining peace.
The inception of the European Union was sparked by an infallible instinct of kinship, a
likeness, bound by a common denominator - the European identity. Even though this
panEuropean spirit is sprung from high idealism, it has worked as fuel for the EU acquis.

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In this essay I’d like to shine a spotlight on the cultural dimension of the EU, employing a
public campaign for promoting EU citizenry, namely “The European Capital of Culture”
initiative. Public campaigns for promoting panEuropean culture appeal to the soft power
of the EU.

THE EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE PROJECT

First I will provide a brief historical background of this initiative and explain what it is.
Maria Amalia Mercouri, the first Greek female Culture and Sports Minister (1981-1989),
alongside Jack Mathieu Emile Lang, the French Minister of Culture (1981-1986/ 1988-
1992) came up with the embryonic idea of designating an annual European capital of
culture in order to promote EU’s cultural diversity.

Initially named “The European City of Culture”, the campaign was conceived in 1983 by
Ms. Mercouri and crystallized in 1985 with the help of Mr. Lang. Ms. Mercouri was
convinced that most EU officials rendered themselves reluctant towards making culture a
priority. Most politicians prioritized geopolitics and the state of the economy within the
EU framework. Yet Ms. Mercouri believed that culture deserved to be placed on an equal
footing as the other two. Thus, the program materialized in 1985 with Athens being the
first capital of culture. In 1999, the European City of Culture became known as the
European Capital of Culture. The initiative is also a nod to the European Union’s motto
“United in diversity.” In this manner, the EU draws upon its platform to promote
common values, the common history of Europeans and vestiges of forgotten architectural
beauties, either dilapidated or restored to their timely brilliance.

On the official website of the EU, the campaign is designed to “highlight the richness
(…) of cultures in Europe; celebrate the cultural features Europeans share; increase
European citizens’ sense of belonging to a common cultural area” and aid the
development of cities through cultural exchanges, cultural tourism and EU sponsored
trips. Usually the cities chosen as cultural capitals are the cities that are in dire need for
rehabilitation; cities that are less known and less frequented by domestic or international
tourists. The initiative thus raises awareness on their cultural and socio-economic profile,
leading to image betterment in the eyes of citizens and internationals. Cities experience a
tourism boost and are rejuvenated economically.

The European Capital of Culture is chosen based on certain criteria that are specified in
the guide for cities that wish to apply for the title of European Capital of Culture.
According to the EU website, the designation of European Capitals of Culture proceeds
as follows: “Six years before the title-year the selected host member states publish a
call for applications, usually through their Ministry for Culture. Cities interested in
participating in the competition must submit a proposal for consideration.” Every
application is then subjected to the analytical scrutiny of culture experts.

The criteria aforementioned are established by a panel of culture experts. Afterwards, the
experts choose a small list of states and require for those states to submit more in-depth
applications. Lastly, the city/cities deemed suitable for tenure by the experts will be
appointed by the Council of Ministers. All this time, the European Commission oversees

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the process and makes sure that the rules are followed.
Final results are posted 4 years prior to the enactment of the decision. For instance, in
2021 Timisoara will hold the title of ECC. This decision was taken in 2017. Of course,
there are also exceptions. In 2007, for instance, Sibiu was chosen ECC even though
Romania acceded to the EU in 2007. Hence, its nominalization happened before its
adherence to the European Union. Of course, the ECC can be chosen even outside of the
EU borders, amongst potential EU candidates (i.e. 1999,Bergen/Norway, 2000
Reykjavik/Iceland, 2010 Istanbul/Turkey).

If the monitoring period of ECCs goes accordingly with the European Commission’s
standards, the cities are bestowed the Melina Mercouri Prize (1.5 million euros) for
Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes. The prize is funded by the EU
Creative Europe program.

Previously there was no regulation constricting the number of times a country may be
chosen to host ECC. However, as of 2021, new regulation states that a city from a EU
candidate or pending EU candidate can be chosen again once every three years. For
instance, in 2031, Spain will host ECC in either Granada or Caceres, meaning that in
2034 it could potentially be reelected.
This year two cities hold the title of ECC: the Italian city of Matera, and the Bulgarian
city of Plovdiv. From 1985 until 2019, 60 cities have had the honour of bearing the title
of ECC. In 2020, two other cities will replace Matera and Plovdiv - Rijeka in Croatia and
Galway in Ireland.

ECC IN ROMANIA

Now I’d like to swivel the readership’s attention towards Romania’s future tenure in 2021
with the city of Timisoara. As mentioned previously, Romania has had a single previous
experience of such, in 2007, when Sibiu was named the European Capital of Culture.

Romania was accepted in the EU in 2007 with reticence and slightly reluctance. After the
huge wave of enlargement in 2004 when 10 new countries joined the EU family,
Romania continued the struggle for its membership alongside it neighbor, Bulgaria.
Shrouded in a penumbra of mystery and suffused in a light of nourished prejudices,
Romania’s always been seen as a peripheral state in the EU. Both in matters of politics
and economy, it’s struggled to keep up with the pace of other EU states.

The ECC initiative was a tremendous game changer for countries such as Romania that
were saddled with a difficult hurdle - the communist legacy.

After the fall of the communist bloc in 1989, Eastern Europe was relinquished from the
handcuffs of Communism, yet its impact was more ingrained than ever. In countries such
as Romania, that handicap is still omnipresent. The corruption which was practiced
during the Communist era still exists today and from it sprout many other issues: the lack
of funds for hospitals, schools, public administration, the golden currency of the system
which is bribery, the lack of infrastructure and historical monuments preservation etc.

In spite of these numerous drawbacks, thanks to ECC, Romania managed to rouse the

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curiosity of Europe and the entire world through its successful 2007 tenure and tourism
campaigns. Sibiu was only a starting point for Romania. With its beautiful Saxon
architecture, amalgam of various languages (Romanian, Hungarian, German), exotic
cuisine and breathtaking sights, Sibiu showcased a true melting pot of cultures. This
diversity concentrated in a single city was highly praised by Europeans. Sibiu
demonstrated that Romanians share the same interest as the rest of the EU with
missionary zeal: to highlight the richness of their culture, which is so connected to all the
other European cultures.

The 2007 tenure enlivened the commercial and cultural life of the city. Funds were
allotted to the restoration of historical attractions such as the Brukenthal Museum, the
Luxembourg House, the Astra Ethnographic Museum and many more.
The NewFederalist writes in 2007 that Sibiu and Luxembourg had opted for a common
programme so that East and West would meet in terms of culture. An axis connecting the
West and the East commenced and continued since.

TM21

Coming back to what will take place in 2021, the administration of Timișoara has already
posted a schedule and programme for its cultural tenure. Timișoara is one of Romania’s
most vibrant cities, with rich history imbued in its very heart. Its cultural and ethnic mix
can be deduced even from its multitude of names – Timișoara in Romanian, Temesvar in
Hungarian, Temeschburg in German, Temišvar / Темишвар in Serbian.

Timișoara has been the witness of countless events that changed the course of Romania’s
history. From 1918 when the Banat region unified with the rest of the country to the
ignition of the 1989 Revolution in Piața Maria, Timișoara continues to be one of
Romania’s epicenters of society, culture, economy and politics.

According to the schedule planned for the year 2021, the local administration of
Timisoara alongside various governmental and non-governmental organizations will
collaborate in order to promote the city, its beauty and history as well the EU agenda for
ECC.

The slogan of the 2021 tenure is ‘Shine your light - Light up your city!’ This slogan
recalls the novelty for which Timișoara is known. On the 12th of November 1884,
Timișoara became the first European city to be illuminated by electric street lights. A total
of 731 street lamp posts were placed along 59 kilometres. The incandescent street lamps
had filaments made out of coal.

The events that will be hosted in the capital of culture are described in the pamphlets:
The Power station and the Engagement Unit
(Local Partners: West University of Timișoara; MetruCub; F.I.T.T. International partners:
Novi Sad 2021; Eleusis 2021)
These units will host “TMwork seminars on different approaches, including public space,
audience engagement and technical capacity for large-scale events (…) support study
visits abroad, to networking meetings in Europe, to partners’ meetings, to learning
experiences.” Internships will be organized according to open calls and commissions.

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TM2021 projects, such as Cafe21, will lead to audience development. Workshops will be
offered on strategies for audience reception and mediation. Café21 entails open
gatherings during which topics of European interest will be discussed, focusing on the
idea of a City, how urban life shapes cultures and how future generations regard their
heritage. Also, ‘Lab for European Project Making’ is scheduled to start in the summer of
2019, in partnership with Eleusis, Greece and Novi Sad, Serbia, the other two 2021
capitals of culture.

Furthermore, a series of Xtensions will ensue: “Xtensions add new sections or


programmes to existing initiatives, focusing on capacity building and international
networking, to strengthen the cultural landscape in Timișoara further.”
There will be three different evenings dedicated to the Danube-Kris-Mures-Tisa region
with…music! Audience members will succumb to the soothing balm of music as
guitarists from Belgrade and Szeged with strum into the nights. A similar event will be
JazzTM. The event reruns each year in July, organized by the local administration in
collaboration with the Plai Cultural Center. The event usually takes place in Piața
Libertății.

Other music-themed festivals are EUFONIA, a multi-annual project for young musicians,
launched in 2018, which promotes classical music, Re:tracing Bela Bartok and the
Baroque Festival, which organizes concerts at the Roman Catholic Church in Piata
Balcescu. Concerts will be held every month starting with May and ending in October. Its
aim is to reacquaint the people with their Baroque heritage.

Film-themed festivals include the Central European Festival which will screen Romanian
movies as well as foreign movies dedicated to certain events (i.e. 2019 marks 30 years
since the fall of the Iron Curtain, hence movies about 1989 revolutions will be screened).
Timishort Edu will also strive to educate the youth through cinema workshops. This
includes “monthly film projections, followed by discussions with children in primary
schools; animation workshops for children aged between 10 and 14 years: initiation in
software, animation; and film-making workshops for high school students.”

Another notable project within TM2021 is the Heritage Contact Zones, paired up with
Memorial of the Revolution and 5 other European partners. It is a winning project with
funding from Creative Europe and it celebrates the European Year of Cultural Heritage,
organized by 6 European partners, among them Timișoara 2021. Topics such as the
suppression of heritages e.g. the Revolution ‘89 in Timișoara, emigration from Algeria to
Marseille, slavery in Amsterdam or the Holocaust in Hungary, Budapest, will be tackled
and debated on.

Other events such as Theatre as Resistance, Digital Archives, City Memories,


Monuments and Courage establish that dissident memory should be kept alight at all
times, even when it was repressed.

Projects like ‘Invisible/Visible (At the Edges:Romanians in Serbia)’ and ‘04Roma’ tell
the stories of ethnic communities that had to integrate in foreign societies. The stories are
told from their perspective as they reclaim the narrative and provide food for thought on
issues regarding human nature, religion and the impetus to adapt and the importance of
tolerance.

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Many technology and IT-related projects will take place as well (MultipleXity, Spotlight
Heritage, Knowledge Fields etc.)

Last but not least, Lumina Unirii (Light and Unity) event will gather international guest
artists and local artists in Piața Unirii to celebrate the diversity of the city, “using the
specificity of the square with clear multi-ethnic traces and overlapping cultural spheres:
German, Serbian, Romanian, Jewish. Three evenings, three acts, six perspectives. A
Journey of Light to a sustainable union.”

Timișoara is home to several ethnic minorities, such as the Banat Bulgarians, the Banat
Serbs, Germans belonging to the Reformed Church, Catholic Hungarians and to a lesser
extent the Jews, whose presence is remarked through the three historical synagogues,
centres of Jewish life, in the Josefin, Fabric and Cetate neighbourhoods. Nowadays only
the Josefin synagogue is active.

The Hungarian community will also take the opportunity to bask in acclaim through the
Csiky Gergely Hungarian State Theatre plays. Actors will play in their mother tongue and
promote the gift of multiculturalism through dramaturgy. A TMWorks Audience
Engagement Expert from Italy, Cristina da Milano, provided her opinion on Timișoara’s
2021 entitlement:
“I did not know Timișoara at all and I went there for the first time in October 2017. My
impression has been immediately very positive, it is a city full of history but at the same
time very contemporary and lively. I think it has all the potential to be a very interesting
ECOC, both because of its historical and cultural background and for his current
positioning in the contemporary artistic and cultural scene, thanks to its institutions but
also to a very young and active generations of cultural producers/organizers acting in the
third sector.”

Ms. Da Milano garners paeans of praise to the young Romanians who involve themselves
in the preparations for 2021 and also praises the city, which is as worthy as all its other
European counterparts.

The director of the Teatro delle Albe, Marco Martinelli, also responded when asked what
his opinon of Timișoara was: “Of course, I can’t speak for a city and a country I don’t
live in, but what I saw in Timișoara with the people I met, during the workshops we had
with students, actors, singers, was a great will of doing, of working, of creating. They
were curious, interested, engaged in what we were doing. And there was a good
discussion during the days I spent with them. This is the perfect substratum to sprout up
Art and artistic paths”.

Mr. Martinelli will be in charge of the Dante21 project which will enable people to
partake in theatre plays, watch shows unroll and events that are meant to narrow the gap
between Western European culture and Eastern European culture.

When asked what advice would he give to Timisoara as a 2021 ECC, he replied: “It’s
difficult to give advice, I think the project of a European Capital of Culture is something
very articulated and complex, and each city would need a specific gaze. Every European
Capital in the field of culture should take the right but also the risk to change and
improve. And to change doesn’t mean to revolutionize a city, but to go with and towards
the citizens. The title is an opportunity, not only in term of money, but also in terms of the

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real social and cultural impact you can encourage. So, take this risk, with all the
difficulties - because I know it is not a simple job - and, as for every single artistic
creation, let’s keep the light on, a fertile and vital light and believe in the project and be
present in it.” Making references to the city’s effervescent past, Mr. Martinelli points out
with optimism what people can do to make Timișoara’s future just as active. For
Romania, TM21 could write history and allow the city’s name to be remembered on a
continental level.

On the river Bega, Timișoara resides at a crossroad of ethnicities, languages, cultures and
religions. With its manifold subtleties, the city demolishes the nonsensical idea that
there’s nothing to see in the east. The European Capital of Culture campaign sets in
motion the local tourism and economy, wheels humming, engine starting, whistles
shrilling as Europe embarks on a cultural expedition.

FINAL REMARKS

Even though the initiative started as a visionary plan, it experienced an ascent in


popularity, propelling European cities to the status of cultural pillars.
This project did not simplify or mollify the current political divergences, yet it enabled
political forces to march forward to the objective of unity in spite of the diversity.
Obviously Eastern Europe can’t be spontaneously turned into a paragon of European
virtue, but through hard work and solidarity between East and West, North and South, the
efforts will pay off. This could become a long-term commitment to decreasing East-West
discrepancies.

A plan which transcends not only geographical borders, but also the borderlines which
are drawn by ourselves - borderlines of bigotry, indifference or snobbery.
For a very long time, people were satisfied labouring under delusions. The Romanians’
reputation of raging kleptomaniacs, abject beggars, and low-skirted, trinkets-clad nomads
produced a domino effect for the country’s perception abroad.

It is very rarely when one stumbles upon an entirely unbiased source of news. Instead of
shedding light on the matter, and dignifying statements with answers, people prefer
taking everything with a grain of salt and bittersweet humor. We choose to highlight the
hyperbolic aspects of nations to the point of gross exaggeration and self-deception. We
choose to feed on prejudices in lieu of wedding the truth with common sense, even if that
means painting a completely opposite picture of that nation. Romania’s people and
history were willfully misinterpreted. The reality portrayed in the foreign media is remote
from the reality here. Most of the East was brought to disrepute, even when it wasn’t the
case for it.

This proposition is placed forward as an enthusiastic attempt to explore Europe’s East


and West differences, as well as bridging the gap, drawing the extremities closer from a
socio-cultural point of view. Allowing Europeans to observe the ebb and flow of the
languages, the swirls and eddies of dialects, the ennobling experiences of cultural
exchanges has lead to the conclusion that we are not as different as we seem.

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Many people don’t know Europe in its entirety, hence this project is designated to
rediscover all the nooks and crannies of Europe. Debunking myths, refuting falsehoods
and getting a better grasp of Romania’s culture is the goal for 2021.

Even though this initiative has divided opinions and more skeptical Europeans claim that
it’s only an attempt to deter the focus from politics, I dissent. From a myriad of priorities,
I believe that culture is one of them. If politics are a trader’s game, then culture (cultural
tourism) is the buckle of an intellectual’s belt. Romania as well as any other European
country deserves to be brought to the forefront. To show their imprint, their touch which
makes the EU the EU.

In conclusion, the European Union isn’t only EU acquis. The European Union is home
for all Europeans, Easterners or Westerners, Southerners or Northerners. Whether they
speak in the official 24 languages of the EU or not, whether they agree or disagree with
the ongoings in Brussels or whether they reminisce nostalgically over the past, being an
EU citizen is like family.

To entertain an obvious anecdote, sometimes you wish you weren’t in it, but other times
you’re hit by the revelation that the EU is the best possible outcome after Europe was
engulfed by two consecutive world wars. The European Capital of Culture is a project
that’s meant to spread panEuropean spirit. It’s a constant reminder that the EU is broad
and diverse and ever-changing. But it is here to stay.

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Bibliography & References

1.”Asociatia Timisoara Capitala Culturala Europeana”. Asociatia Timisoara Capitala


Culturala Europeana. Accessed May 04, 2019. http://www.timisoara2021.ro/.

2. Asociația Timișoara Capitală Culturală Europeană. Cultural Program 2019. Timișoara,


Romania: Asociația Timișoara Capitală Culturală Europeană.
http://www.timisoara2021.ro/staticpage/download/ProgramCultural2019-EN-Web.pdf

3 .Asociația Timișoara Capitală Culturală Europeană. News 21 (Timișoara 2021).


Asociația Timișoara Capitală Culturală Europeană. Proiect realizat cu sprijinul Primăriei
Municipiului Timișoara și al Consiliului Local Timișoara.
http://www.timisoara2021.ro/staticpage/download/News21.pdf

4. “European Capitals of Culture." Creative Europe - European Commission. May 03,


2019. Accessed May 04, 2019. https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-
europe/actions/capitals-culture_en.

5”.European Capital of Culture." Wikipedia. May 04, 2019. Accessed May 04, 2019.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Capital_of_Culture.

6.”European Union." Wikipedia. May 04, 2019. Accessed May 04, 2019.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union.

7 ”.Official Website of the European Union." European Union. May 02, 2019. Accessed
May 04, 2019. https://europa.eu/european-union/index_en.

8. Revol, Adina, and Simona Vieru. "[2007] Sibiu: European Cultural Capital 2007." The
New Federalist. July 27, 2007. Accessed May 04, 2019.
https://www.thenewfederalist.eu/Sibiu-European-cultural-capital-2007.

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