Palma will find out on Friday 6 March whether they it has made it through the pre-selection stage for European Capital of Culture. The final candidates who have made it through this first stage will be announced after the final deliberation of the Committee of Experts. According to information gathered by Europa Press, the Ministry of Culture will host the preliminary selection phase for the European Capital of Culture 2031 from 2 to 5 March.
The delegations will travel to Madrid on those days to defend their candidacies for European Capital of Culture 2031, in a process in which Oviedo, Burgos, Cáceres, Granada, Jerez de la Frontera, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Palma, Potries and Toledo, Spanish cities aspiring to the title that Spain will share with Malta that year, are competing. All these cities will seek to pass this first selection phase.
The evaluation will be carried out by an independent committee composed of twelve experts, ten of whom are international experts appointed by the European institutions involved in the European Capital of Culture and two specialists appointed by the Ministry of Culture. This committee will assess the quality of the cultural project, its European dimension, its long-term impact and the involvement of citizens.
The European Capital of Culture is a European Union initiative created in 1985 to highlight the cultural diversity of the continent, promote intercultural dialogue and strengthen the role of culture as a driver of social and economic development. Since then, more than 60 European cities have been recognised with this title, including Madrid (1992), Santiago de Compostela (2000), Salamanca (2002) and San Sebastián (2016).
The process to become a capital city begins six years in advance and culminates with the official designation four years before the year of the title. On 15 January, the Ministry of Culture, through the Sub-Directorate General for International Relations and the European Union, announced the candidacy of the nine Spanish cities vying to become European Capital of Culture in 2031.
After the finalist cities are announced in March, the chosen city will be revealed in December. This selection will be carried out in all its phases by a committee made up of ten international experts.
The European Capital of Culture 2031 will host a cultural programme throughout the year of its capital status, which will include activities with local and European artists and international cooperation programmes.