This is one of the main topics that emerged from the panel at the 13th Culture Next conference in Cluj. The speakers, moderated by Immie Jonkman, CEO of Arcadia/Leeuwarden Fryslan 2028 & Culture Next Board member, were: Valentina Montalto, researcher 40 years of Ecocs, Chemnitz 2025 & Nova Gorica 2025, Tom Fleming, International consultant Ecoc reform draft report coordinator, Culture Next, Alexandra Rigler Director Center for Projects of the Municipality of Timisoara, Kelly Diapouli, Artistic Director Larnaca 2030.

It was a session to which many of the participants at the Conference gave a strong and passionate contribution based on the various experiences of winning, or excluded, or future European Capitals of Culture cities.

About the importance of the European dimension, it was recalled that in 2014, when the regulation now in force was being drafted, this had been eliminated from the requirements for ECOC programmes. There were more than 800 recommendations to the Commission, many of which were on the European dimension: the firm determination of a profound expert and supporter of ECOC, Doris Pack, President of the Culture Committee of the European Parliament, prevented the elimination of the European dimension from the regulation.

Today this theme is resurfacing and in the debate at the Cluj conference it was taken up by many speakers. In particular, Chris Baldwin, involved - as he recalled - in various European Capitals of Culture over the last 15 years, said: “Our politicians want to eliminate the European dimension because they consider it a waste of time. "But we are politicians. We must see ourselves as political activists within our organizations, fighting daily for the values ​​we believe in. The discussion on what we can influence at a central level is certainly important, but we must not forget our role as cultural activists". Moderator Immie Jonkman introduced another topic of great interest in this phase of the life of the European Capitals of Culture, that of the dimension of “cultural democracy”.

It is necessary - it was said in the debate - to place cultural democracy as a basic European value, as a fundamental element of the European dimension in the regulations. “What happens is that a project that starts out as very democratic and aligned with the European dimension, in the end, following the influences of local or central government, turns into a very nationalist project”.

Valentina Montalto mentioned some elements that emerged in her research on the 40 years of the European Capitals of Culture, sponsored by Chemnitz 2025 and Nova Gorica 2025. Among others, the fate of the cities that do not reach the objective of the nomination. The Portuguese government has decided to finance the losing cities anyway so that they can still implement the projects in their bidbook, or at least part of them. But the decision was taken after the nomination and concerned those selected for the second phase. It is an interesting topic, although obviously governments cannot be forced to behave in the same way as the Portuguese government. However, it would be desirable if at a European level there was a push for national authorities, when they announce the competition, to also state the budget that they will make available for any city that wins the title.

The answers contained in Valentina Montalto's research and the various topics covered in the debate raise the question of what can be done with all the input that has emerged. Certainly Culture Next - as was said in Cluj, but we firmly believe so too - can be a place that allows cities that intend to apply to find advice on how to deal with that process. To hear from those who have won and those who have lost, the mistakes made, the way in which positive results have been achieved, the cultural strategies that have been implemented. Culture Next, together with the networks connected to it, can be the accompanying body.

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