Based on the Panel’s recommendation, the Portuguese Minister of Culture designated the city of Évora as the title-holder on 14 February 2023.

These are the reasons given by the evaluation panel in the report.

“The candidacy of Évora has been deepened and strengthened to reach the high standards of an ECoC programme, with an impressive improvement in terms of artistic vision and cultural value, European dimension and outreach capacity, at the same time clearly strengthening the regional commitment.

The concept of ‘Vagar’ and its underpinning philosophy remains compelling and with a strong poetic power that pervades all the bid-book, including the cultural strategy and the anticipated impacts. This concept is genuinely rooted in the regional way of being and can resonate in Europe and beyond, for its manifest intention to address tangible challenges humanity is facing.

The concept is translated into a persuasive artistic vision and into a solid cultural programme, that is an invitation to experience the diverse themes of Space, Time and Matter that are the main dimensions of the universe ‘vagar’ aims to reconnect humans with.

The programme and projects have a strong European resonance, in their call to explore issues or challenges that have a wide echo in Europe: for example, reflecting on the dominance of humans over space, land, animals or technology; exploring the cultural traces left by the past and present transits of migrants, starting new discourses on the power dynamics between periphery and centre or savouring a new dimension of time.

The scope and quality of the activities foster intercultural dialogue, with the engagement of well-reputed international artists and a diversified range of cultural partners.

The outreach programme envisions a clear strategy with relevant axes, like four open calls for projects and an articulated schools programme, thus contributing to ensure local and regional ownership, diversity and inclusion. Although the digital outreach plan should be detailed, the connection with the tourism communication strategy to convey the experience of ‘vagar’ as a European Capital of Culture 2027 Portugal, Selection report 27 January 2023 new touristic product and the hospitality plan aimed to promote a closer relationship between residents and visitors are very promising.

The bid is strongly supported by the City of Évora, which doubled its financial contribution since the prosecution phase, while the political commitment at regional level has been reinforced with an endorsement from all the intermunicipal communities of Alentejo (Alto, Central, Litoral and Baixo Alentejo)”.

In attachment to this news the Expert Panel’s report Edited by the international expert panel members: Jelle Burggraaff, Else Christensen-Redzepovic (Rapporteur), Beatriz Garcia (Chair), Goda Giedraityte (Rapporteur), Anne Karjalainen, Hrvoje Laurenta, Jorge Cerveira Pinto, Marilyn Gaughan Reddan (Rapporteur) and Rosella Tarantino, joined by the two national expert panel members Suzana Faro and João Seixas (Vice-chair) from Portugal.