At the opening ceremony of Matera, Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue 2026, EcocNews interviewed Ms Dubravka ŠUICA, the European Union’s Commissioner for the Mediterranean. Below is the full text of her speech during the Opening.

With an opening ceremony attended by European Commissioners Raffaele Fitto and Dubravka ŠUICA, the city of Matera – which was European Capital of Culture in 2019 – is preparing to spend a year as the Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue.

Launching September 2026 in Oulu, Northern Finland — just below the Arctic Circle — Danish artist Jakob Kudsk Steensen unveils a major site-specific installation that draws on Finnish mythologies about the afterlife and botanical seed banks — places where life and memory continue in suspended animation.

The Anna Lindh Foundation has published a call for proposals to support artistic projects in the two Mediterranean capitals of culture and dialogue for 2026, Matera (Italy) and Tetouan (Morocco).

The European Capital of Culture brings a wide range of events and experiences to Oulu and Northern Finland: international artists, festival on sea ice, ice swimming.