Europe’s cultural ambition should not depend on the administrative capacity or consultancy budget of the place where an idea originates. That was a central message from Csaba Borboly at today’s European Committee of the Regions stakeholder consultation on the renewal of the European Capitals of Culture action.
Speaking as shadow rapporteur and a member of the ECoC expert panel, Borboly proposed practical ways to connect European cooperation with lasting local and regional benefits. His intervention focused on meaningful partnerships with surrounding rural communities, young people and minority communities as co-creators, proportionate application requirements and clear responsibilities for the period after the title year.
In his closing remarks, rapporteur Pierluigi Biondi, Mayor of L’Aquila, referred to Borboly by name and welcomed his formulation: reduce bureaucracy, not ambition. This was a positive response within the consultation, not the adoption of an amendment or a funding decision.
Avoiding a two-speed geography of cultural opportunity
The European dimension of the action should connect communities, not reproduce inequalities between those with extensive administrative resources and those with limited capacity. This challenge is relevant across the Union, including rural, mountainous, peripheral and smaller urban territories in both Eastern and Western Europe.
The answer is not to weaken artistic quality or European ambition. It is to ensure that communities can demonstrate quality without having to compete primarily on their ability to manage complex paperwork.
“European cooperation becomes stronger when more communities can contribute to it. We should not build one cultural Europe for well-connected institutions and another for communities expected simply to watch from the margins.”
Partnerships that extend beyond a city boundary
Borboly welcomed the territorial approach discussed during the consultation and proposed making it operational. Where an application includes a wider territory, neighbouring municipalities should help shape the programme, take part in decisions and have clear responsibilities and resources. Their role should go beyond providing venues.
This approach can connect urban cultural institutions with rural organisations, schools, artists and local enterprises. It can support exchanges, shared programming and skills development without treating the surrounding territory as a backdrop to a city brand.
It does not imply automatic eligibility or a title for a county. Partnerships must respect the legal and selection conditions of the action. The policy objective is meaningful participation and benefits across the territory involved.
Local identity as a starting point for European exchange
Borboly argued that local identity and the European dimension should reinforce each other. Minority languages, cultural traditions and contemporary creativity can provide starting points for cooperation across borders.
Young people should be involved in designing and delivering projects, not only counted as audiences. Cooperation with schools, training providers and local artists can help turn a cultural programme into experience, skills and future opportunities.
This gives a practical meaning to the right to stay: not restricting mobility, but expanding the freedom to build a future locally while participating in European life.
Simplification without weaker accountability
Borboly called for clear guidance, proportionate documentation and practical advice for smaller municipalities. The quality of a cultural proposal should not depend on the size of its consultancy budget.
“Less paperwork should mean more time for cultural work, not less responsibility for public funds. Simplification and accountability must be designed together.”
This continues his earlier work on rural cultural policies and access to European cooperation. In discussions on AgoraEU, he previously advocated approaches including a short initial application stage, smaller grants through local intermediaries and proportionate co-financing. These are related policy proposals, not amendments adopted at today’s ECoC consultation.
Legacy must identify responsibilities, not only aspirations
A credible legacy plan should answer three questions: what continues after the title year, who takes responsibility and how it will be financed.
Visitor numbers provide useful information, but cannot alone demonstrate lasting impact. Evaluation should also consider cultural skills, durable partnerships and participation across the territory. These questions matter for artistic and community development, not only for tourism or branding.
Borboly also supported continued learning between awarded and non-awarded cities. Preparing a bid can create valuable relationships and strategies. Their value should not disappear with the selection result. Any future coordination structure should work with existing networks rather than duplicate them.
Connecting cultural renewal with responsible long-term preparation
The proposed ECoC action for 2034 to 2047 and the proposed EU budget for 2028 to 2034 are separate legislative and policy processes. They should not be presented as a single funding mechanism.
They nevertheless raise a shared governance question: how can European objectives be translated into workable partnerships that reflect the needs of different places?
The Commission’s next-budget proposal includes national and regional partnership plans. The framework remains under negotiation. It does not create automatic funding entitlements for particular local projects. It reinforces the importance of preparing clear priorities, implementation capacity and meaningful local and regional participation.
For Borboly, European advocacy and local preparation must therefore move together. Institutions should explain territorial realities in European discussions, while communities develop partnerships with defined objectives, responsibilities and realistic financing options.
“Our common task is not to choose between European values and local identity. It is to make cooperation, diversity and trust tangible in people’s lives. The renewed action should help Europe’s communities create together, learn from one another and leave lasting opportunities to the next generation.”