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Victoria and Birgu submit for European Capital of Culture 2031
That’s right! Victoria in Gozo and Birgu, in the south of Malta, now stand as candidates for the European Capital of Culture 2031, after the Valletta Cultural Agency (VCA) issued a call for expressions of interest in November 2020.
In an exciting process, over the next couple of weeks, the Agency will lead a mentoring program, while holding meetings with candidates and participating in a seminar with European experts. This will help the hopeful candidates to build networks with other European Capitals of Culture. As established by the European Commission, a Maltese city is indeed set to be named the European Capital of Culture 2031.
Gozo
What’s the story behind the process?
Well, the government first announced the initiative last year, allowing time for local councils to prepare and submit an initial proposal. They could do these by means of a local expression of interest, between January and March of 2021.
“The initiative is designed to highlight the richness and diversity of cultures in Europe, celebrate the cultural features Europeans share, increase European citizens’ sense of belonging to a common cultural area, and foster the contribution of culture to the development of cities,” stated VCA.
The VCA is leading the process of submissions and part of the Agency’s remit, as set out of a legal notice, is to “coordinate the bidding process for the next European Capital of Culture title for the Maltese Islands.”
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