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Eurocities welcomes the European Commission’s proposal for the future framework of the European Capitals of Culture, recognising it as a strong step forward that reflects many of the network’s long-standing recommendations. In particular, we welcome the stronger focus on sustainability, democracy and European values, as well as the proposal to establish a permanent support structure for cities through an ECoC Secretariat or Bureau. These elements closely align with Eurocities’ vision for a greener, more inclusive and more resilient European Capitals of Culture programme.

On 10 September 2026, the European Commission (EC) published its proposal for the new legal framework governing the European Capitals of Culture (ECoC) action for 2034–2047. The overall evaluation of the proposal is positive, successfully integrating many long-standing recommendations put forward by Eurocities.

The primary aim of the renewal is to preserve functioning elements of the scheme while strengthening its capacity to support cities, increasing design flexibility, enhancing long-term impact, and securing greater visibility for core European values.

Key legislative proposed changes and Eurocities demands

• Streamlined selection criteria: The Commission simplified the selection criteria from six to four categories, integrating the “European dimension” across all of them:
  1. Long-term strategy and legacy (including local cultural strategies)
  2. Cultural and artistic content
  3. Outreach, communication, and citizens’ participation
  4. Management and capacity to deliver
• Broader access and eligibility: While maintaining the national rotation system, the title should be open to groups of cities (including cross-border groups) and regions associated with the future Agora EU programme. The re-application ban for unsuccessful EEA, EFTA, and candidate-country cities has been removed.
• Sustainability: The contribution of culture to sustainable and inclusive urban development is now an explicit objective, requiring greener management and visitor engagement practices. This aligns closely with the Eurocities Lille Call to Action, which calls for culture to play a central role in advancing the green transition and building nable cities.
• European values: Explicit references to EU values have been added, alongside a new “withdrawal” clause allowing the ECoC title to be revoked if those values are violated during the event’s lifecycle. Eurocities strongly welcomes this emphasis, which reflects the network’s growing focus on the values that unite us and its commitment to democracy, inclusion and fundamental rights.
• Future ECoC bureau: In line with Eurocities’ call for a permanent coordination office, the EC proposes a potential ECoC Secretariat/Bureau. It would centralise capacity-building, facilitate network exchanges, offer technical guidance, support post-title legacy planning, and guide cities toward relevant EU funding. Eurocities has longed for it and strongly supports its implementation.

Next steps

The proposal now moves to the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union for formal discussions:

• European Parliament: Discussions begin on 4 November 2026, led by appointed rapporteur Hannes Heide (Socialists &Democrats, Austria).
• Council of the EU: Discussions will initiate under the Irish Presidency and continue into 2027 under the Lithuanian Presidency. Practical guidelines will follow once the legal basis is finalised.

The proposal is available here.

Conclusions

Eurocities is pleased to see many of its long-standing recommendations reflected in the Commission’s proposal and looks forward to supporting the next phase of discussions.