Brussels to bid for European Capital of Culture title in 2030

The Brussels-Capital Region is a candidate to be European Capital of Culture in 2030, minister-president Rudi Vervoort has announced. The European Commission will launch the formal bidding process for the title in 2024.

“It’s true that the deadline is quite a way off, but it takes a lot of preparatory work for such an important project to be successful,” Vervoort said. “In particular, it can only be a success if the whole sector stands behind the project. As capital of Europe and an intercultural meeting place, it’s only to be expected that Brussels would try to claim this title.”

A city in each of two EU member states holds the title every year, with a city in a candidate member state eligible to apply every three years from 2021. The European Commission has designated the host countries until 2033, and the formal call for cities to make their bid is launched six years ahead of the title year. Belgium and Cyprus are the designated host countries for 2030.

European Capital of Culture is considered a prestigious position for the image of the participating city, and it brings concrete benefits in the form of tourist income as well as income from domestic consumers of the many events and performances organised.

This year’s cultural capitals are San Sebastian in the Basque region of Spain and Wroclaw in western Poland. The title was awarded to Antwerp in 1993, Bruges in 2002 and Mons last year. Brussels was one of nine cities to hold the title in 2000.

Photo: www.milo-profi.be