Six Italian cities (Cagliari, Lecce, Matera, Perugia, Ravenna and Siena) short-listed for European Capital of Culture 2019 | WPN World People News

The selection panel appointed to evaluate applications from Italian cities for the title of European Capital of Culture 2019 met in Rome and recommended that Cagliari, Lecce, Matera, Perugia, Ravenna and Siena should be short-listed. Once this recommendation has been confirmed by Italy, the preselected cities will complete their applications by next summer. The selection panel will meet again in the third quarter of 2014 to recommend the Italian city which will be the European Capital of Culture in 2019.

Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, said: "I would like to warmly congratulate the cities for their nominations, following the first round of the competition. More than 20 cities – a record number - applied for the title. This is proof of the popularity of the European Capital of Culture. Just being short-listed for the title can result in significant cultural, economic and social benefits for the cities concerned, provided that their bid is part of a longer-term culture-led development strategy. The Capitals are an opportunity for Europeans to learn more about each other and to enjoy their shared history and values: in other words, to experience the feeling of belonging to the same European community. I encourage all of the pre-selected cities to make the best of this project."

In accordance with the Decision of the European Parliament and Council of Ministers which sets the criteria for the European Capital of Culture1, Italy and Bulgaria are the two Member States hosting the event in 2019. The pre-selection in Bulgaria will take place next month.

Following Marseille (France) and Košice (Slovakia) this year, Umeå (Sweden) and Riga (Latvia) will be European Capitals of Culture in 2014, Mons (Belgium) and Plzen (Czech Republic) in 2015, Wrocław (Poland) and Donastia-San Sebastián (Spain) in 2016, Aarhus (Denmark) and Paphos (Cyprus) in 2017 and Valletta (Malta) in 2018. Leeuwarden (Netherlands) has also been proposed as European Capital of Culture in 2018.

Source: European Commission