Brussels, 3 December 2020
In today’s voting session, The Committee of Culture and Education in the European Parliament adopted the outcome of the inter-institutional negotiations on the decision to change the Union Action on the European Capitals of Culture 2020 and 2021. This approval paves the way for the final adoption in the next plenary session that is planned in December. Given the importance of the file and the need to enter into force by the end of the year, Željana Zovko, who is the rapporteur for this report, managed to coordinate a speedy procedure.
Zovko reiterated that due to the corona pandemic, the European Union proposes to extend the status of Rijeka and Galway as capitals for 2020 until the end of April 2021. The proposal also includes that the three Capitals of Culture for 2021 will be postponed to 2022 or 2023. The current European Capitals of Culture had to cancel, postpone and adjust many events since the corona pandemic surged in the European Member States last spring and the upcoming capitals had to revise their programming. “With this proposal of extension, we offer the cities affected another chance to realise these objectives in a sanitary safe but culturally enriching fashion” Zovko stated.