An overview 25 years later in Brussels 2010 by Hatto Fischer

Since Athens 1985 the institution of European Capitals of Culture has taken on different forms e.g. capitals becoming cultural ones like Athens, Paris, Berlin, to be followed by Glasgow in 1990 which used culture for urban revival while later on the regional aspect was added in the case of Luxemburg, Lille and Ruhr 2010. But aside from these different forms, another tendency manifested itself, namely not only to use but to abuse culture for commercial and other ends. All that is contrary to the original idea of Melina Mercouri who sought to convince other Ministers of Culture Europe needs culture to allow people to meet and to exchange ideas.

ECoC becoming cultural industries

A clear warning has been expressed by Bob Palmer when speaking at the 25 year celebration of the ECoC institution held in Brussels, March 23 and 24, 2010. He said there is a danger of ECoC cities becoming cultural industries.

Interestingly enough Ruhr 2010 prides itself of having put for the first time 'cultural or creative industries' onto its agenda.

In the first bid Wroclaw 2016 Richard Florida was quoted as if the thesis would hold that it is all about the making of a new creative class - a contradiction in terms of culture if meant to be inclusive and an open ended imaginary process.

Communication strategy: making visible the artistic program or playing the media game

It is expressed fore mostly by the communication budget getting out of hand, that is money is put into publicity and key projects at the expense of investments in people, the arts and culture. It has intensified a tendency to engage expensive public relation agencies with the necessary but expensive know how on how to use the power of images to propagate certain key messages.

Playing into the hands of the publicity agencies is the increasing need of European Capitals of Culture to make 'visible' their programs. Usually that means doing something very big like huge fire works or a mechanical spider going through the streets in Liverpool '08 or organising a picknick on the autobahn being closed for one day as in Ruhr 2010. The aim is simply to get the attention of the national and world media for otherwise the year is deemed to be a failure.

It has brought to the fore all kinds of experts claiming to know something about 'city branding'. The organisation 'Soul of Europe' goes even a step further and talks about the need of Europe to brand its culture for purpose of export. That has led them to embrace Wim Wender's position that to sell these images a positive form of propaganda is needed. He supports this thesis despite him being aware how vulnerable are children and not only they to the impact of images in a media age described as well as global culture taking over everywhere. Moreover once cities have received the designation and completed the one year, they allow spin doctors to prepare the final reports as if they have learned only one lesson, namely how to sell everything as a success form even if that means being engaged in modern forms of propaganda. This cannot be since culture is based on honesty and intellectual integrity. Otherwise high artistic quality cannot be achieved nor culture give to people a reliable orientation when marking the way into an uncertain future.

Public consultation about the future of the ECoC after 2020 in Brussels 2 March 2010

If the European Commission wishes to ensure high cultural and artistic quality is achieved throughout this one year, then much more needs to be done in order to avoid a purely managerial approach from being adopted to see through spectacular events starting and ending with only fire works. Consequently the public consultation about the future of the ECoC institution organised by the European Commission on March 2nd 2010 raised many crucial points. As they can constitute a critical framework for purpose of interpreting the outcome of the questionnaire, it will be crucial that the European Commission is not merely selective but attempts to come to terms with the more difficult issues raised. This includes the problem of corruption or the loss of ethics even though culture supposed to stand for a search for truth (Michael D. Higgins).

The role of experts and consultants

Along the lines Bob Palmer referred to, it is a fact that the high competition between various cities (in Spain 16 in Poland 14 cities competed for the title in 2016) has created a lucrative market for all kinds of consultants and would be experts. They can be engaged in one year by one city while two years later they reappear in a similar function in another city as if this cultural expertise is interchangable. This stands in stark contrast to someone like Eric Antonis, artistic director of Antwerp '93 and about whom Bart Verschaffel would say, if you talk to him still today, you sense immediately that you talk through him to the whole city. He has continued to build up the cultural resources of Antwerp and if asked can help immediately to get things done. That staying power is, however, unique.

Preparing for the bid: City and Citizens and the European Dimension

Once cities do begin to prepare themselves for the bid, that is before even having received the designation, a lot can happen to show what cities are capable of when it comes to reveal their inner strength in beauty and cultural competence. Upgrading cultural infrastructures is always an asset especially since in the digital age the way culture can facilitate the handling of information and other challenges of the 21st century is a way forward. Alone what it took for the Polish and Spanish cities in 2010-11 to reach the end round of the final round with five cities left respectively in each country is by itself an amazing story of real achievements.

As this is for 2016 it shows also what a role a time horizon can play while at the same time it is a realistic time frame for what it takes to prepare for that special year once the designation has been attained. Sometimes the contest between cities as is the case with Aarhus and Sonderborg in Denmark can turn quite fierce and contrary to culture more into a battle rather than remain a friendly competition for 2017. Such kinds of developments underline the negative impact of a 'destructive vanity' with both sides fighting below the belt, so to speak, to achieve their ends, namely to be the European Capital of Culture in 2017.

As to the three to four cities competing in Cyprus for the title in 2017 nothing much can be said as of yet as they are only getting late into the act of preparing themselves.

When cities begin to prepare themselves for 2016 or 2017 then something healthy is introduced into the thinking of municipal governments. For such a time horizon is of great importance as Europe finds itself in a deep crisis. People are in need of their creative energies but which can only be tapped if they do not try to achieve something for tomorrow but think much further ahead. Culture is not something which is conceivable within strict business practices. Recognition of the importance of the arts in life is oly possible when culture does mean entering a creative process.

Much more needs to be said on account of experiences made by these cities which have received the designation but also by those who did enter the biding process and thereby undertook quite a lot to make visible their cultural resources and potentialities.

The selection of cities

There are many other issues connected with the ECoC as a European institution. This includes how cities are selected. Moreover a much more complex form of investment in the arts and in culture is needed if cities are to qualify for the designation. Unfortunately the EU Commission has no such artistic expertise and tends therefore to handle everything under formal and procedural aspects while remaining prone to the usual pressure to link culture to economy and therefore to neo liberal success criteria. Rather than supporting inclusive cultural developments, the criterion that the citizens of the city have to support the bid is dropped immediately once the designation has been obtained. Repeatedly it has been shown that the EU Commission has no means to draw any consequences even if this amounts to a flagrant abuse of the title but because the selection takes place within a national framework, the EU Commission is bounded by the treaty to subject itself to the demands of the member state. That was the case with Patras 2006 when experts like Bob Palmer advised already in 2004 withdrawal of the title but instead of listening the Commission caved in to the pressure of the then Greek Minister of Culture with the result that Patras was a huge failure not only in terms of what happened in that city but how this affected both the ECCM network and therefore the institution of European Capital of Culture to which each designated city should make a substantial contribution in the opinion of Spyros Mercouris.

There is always the danger of too much political interference or a definite political concept preventing the selection of a city worthy of the designation. Here Bob Scott played a crucial role in making sure not border cities like Görlitz would be selected but those which are prepared to become and to act as representatives of their respective nation. This ran completely against the very notion that the designated city was a European and not a national capital but it reflects as well some of the prevailing attitudes not only within the UK but in other countries like Denmark marked by an extreme form of European scepticism if not by a complete anti-European attitude. That leads to questions like what does Europe give to us rather than what can be a contribution to the further development of Europe.

As many refer to Marseilles 2013 as an outstanding example for a good bid, a new parameter has been set. Thus there is a need to refer to Marseilles 2013 as an outstanding example which has two philosophical pillars, namely the Arab philosophers and Albert Camus, while focusing at micro level on both neighborhood associations and regional integration and at macro or European level on the much needed European and Mediterranean dialogue with the Arab nations and the entire Middle East region bordering on Africa.

Number of cities selected in one year

Since Athens 1985 this concept has led the EU to designate each year one or more cities (in 2000 there were nine) to become the European Capital of Culture. For 2010, three cities assumed this role: Essen, Pecs and Istanbul. Essen encompassed at the same time the entire Ruhr region and incorporated 52 other cities in its attempt to fulfill the year with events.

Pragmatic shifts

There have been noted already several paradigmatic shifts before the regional aspect became more pronounced. There is cited most often Glasgow 1990 as the city made use of culture for urban regeneration. As to the more regional aspect, this set in already with Lille while Essen / Ruhr 2010 took it to the extreme by including 54 cities belonging to the Ruhr area made up of the former coal and steel industrial district. Implicit in that concept was the wish to overcome the traditional competitions reigning between these 54 cities. Communication for the purpose of further going cultural cooperation meant an effort to make each other aware of the benefits from cooperation through cultural exchanges and joint events.

Marseilles 2013 seems set to become still another new model of experimentation within a city as to what can be done with this one year once the designation has been obtained from the side of the EU. It is to be expected that a much more urban based cultural policy will come into play.

The economy and culture relationship

The interest by the European Commission to see improvements in the economy has prompted a growing interest on the cultural impact upon the economy by the city being for one year European Capital of Culture. This interest has been reinforced by the KEA Report about 'Culture and Economy' published by the European Commission, DG Culture and Education in 2007. This trend is reinforced by European Capitals of Culture becoming more and more cultural industries which depend upon public relations and media companies to communicate the image of being successful cultural enterprises. Under the usual criteria it means they are able to attract visitors, make revenues and have organised spectacular events which capture headlines.

Dialogue between cultures or bringing cultures into dialogue with other cultures

The dialogue between cultures is a crucial asset to make European cultures be known, says Spyros Mercouris, and he would add the ECoC institution is not about holding one festival after another festival, but much more as his sister Melina would put it culture is about providing spaces and places for people to meet so that they can exchange experiences and develop new ideas on how to express themselves. For they need culture to understand the situation they live in and the problems they have to face if there is to be not closed but open doors to the future. It cannot be as the EU vision for 2020 wishes to do so use culture merely for the purpose of enhancing the economy by using technology to enrich experiences - there is indeed talk about an economy of experience - but never to relate to what the Maastricht Treaty had already established as base line, namely all EU actions undertaken need to take culture into consideration and even more so to be compatible with the needs for culture to unfold.

ECCM Network

The ECCM Network made a last effort in 2007 to reflect upon these developments with emphasis upon not only dialogue between cultures, but as well on cultural policy and the role of culture as exemplified by the tasks of museums and other cultural institutions. It was then recognized the need to diverse the meaning of the concept 'culture' and to link with Africa, Latin America, Volga Region in Russia and Canada/USA as the idea of designating a city to be Capital of Culture for one year is spreading throughout the world. For further information see the symposium 'Productivity of Culture' in Athens, Oct. 2007. See www.productivityofculture.org

New networks

Three new networks have emerged in the meantime but with very different visions and ideas in mind. There is first of all the 'informal network' which Ruhr 2010 created together with Liverpool '08 in order to cater to the needs of newly designated cities.

Then there is the University Network of European Capitals of Culture which shall celebrate its 5th anniversary in Antwerp October 2011.

And at international level, in particular in Africa, Mike van Graan is becoming a vital link to the African Capitals of Culture.

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An overview 25 years later in Brussels 2010 by Hatto Fischer