Were you a candidate city? If so, here you will find all the information and documents that were needed to successfully prepare an application.
Didn't find the answer to your question? In the Frequently Asked Questions, we collected all the general questions and answers from the candidate cities and published them under the FAQs. The list was be updated as we received new questions.
Want to stay up to date with ECOC? Be sure to subscribe to our news releases.
This initiative was developed in 1985 and has, to date, been awarded to more than 60 cities across the European Union (EU) and beyond.
The procedure for selecting a city as the next European Capital of Culture consists of two stages:
The following 12 independent experts assessed each candidate city on the basis of the applications and hearings against the objectives and criteria of the European Capital of Culture:
During the pre-selection stage, the panel of 12 experts agreed on a shortlist of candidate cities that were invited to revise and complete their application for the final selection stage. During the final selection stage, the panel visited the pre-selected cities.
After the final selection meeting, the panel agreed on the recommendation of one city for the title. Based on the panels recommendation, Belgium designates Leuven to hold the title in 2030 and notified the European Union.
Each application was evaluated based on the eligibility criteria, award criteria and exclusion criteria.
The award criteria were divided into six categories:
A detailed list of the criteria can be found in the Call for submission of applications.
The European Commission provided literature to help candidate cities prepare for candidacy.
Interesting documents:
Curious about the experiences of other European Capitals of Culture? The following website provides an overview of all European Capitals of Culture and some inside information:
All bidbooks from past candidate cities and titleholders can be found in the archive on the cultureNEXT website.
Pre-selection stage
To apply for the pre-selection, you had to complete and submit the following two documents as part of the call for submission of applications.:
Both documents must have been submitted by 17:00 on 2 September 2024.
All candidate cities had to complete the common application form provided in Annex 1 of the Call for Submission. There are different questionnaires for the pre-selection and final selection stages.
For the pre-selection, the application had to meet the following requirements:
All candidate cities had to complete and sign the Declaration of Honour provided in Annex 2 of the Call for Submission. It must have been signed by an individual with the legal authority to represent the city, typically the mayor or a designated representative.
The Declaration of Honour had to be submitted together with the paper and digital application form. The declaration could be added to the application as a separate document.
Applications had to be submitted by both email and hard copy before 17.00 on September 2nd 2024.
The following documents had to be submitted by email:
The following hard copies had to be sent or delivered:
Address:
Secretariat ECOC 2030 BE Committee – Departement Cultuur, Jeugd en Media
Marie-Elisabeth Belpairegebouw
Simon Bolivarlaan 17
1000 Brussel
If the hard copies were delivered in person, they had to be left at the reception of the Marie-Elisabeth Belpaire building. Applicants were asked to inform by email in advance so that the reception could be notified.
The pre-selection meeting took place during the week of October 21st 2024. Candidate cities were invited to present their candidacies on October 21st, 22nd, or 23rd to a panel of international experts.
On October 24th 2024, the finalist cities were announced by the chairperson of the panel during a press conference. Other speakers at the press conference included:
Location:
The pre-selection meeting took place at the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels, in the following rooms:
The press conference was held in the auditorium of the Royal Library of Belgium.
Presentation and discussion of the candidature:
Aside from the panel, representatives from the European Commission and three observers from the French, Flemish, and German-speaking communities were present at the pre-selection hearings.
Final selection stage
Ahead of the final selection meeting, a small delegation of 4 members of the Panel, one observer from the European Commission and 3 observers from the French, Flemish, and German-speaking communities visited the candidate cities. The visit schedule was as follows:
The purpose of these visits was for the Panel to gain a deeper understanding of each candidacy and to assess the involvement of local stakeholders and citizens. These visits offered an opportunity for the Panel to experience the atmosphere of the cities, better understand their bidbooks, and form an overall impression of their readiness and suitability to host the title year.
The final meeting took place during the week of September 22nd, 2025. Candidate cities were invited to present their candidacies on September 22nd or 23rd to the following panel of 9 independent experts.:
On September 24th, the chairperson of the panel announced during a press conference that Leuven had been chosen to hold the title. Other speakers at the press conference included:
Location:
The final selection meeting took place at the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels, in the following rooms:
The press conference took place from 13.30 until 14.00 in the Auditorium of the Royal Library of Belgium.
Presentation and discussion of the candidature:
Aside from the panel, representatives from the European Commission and three observers from the French, Flemish, and German-speaking communities were present at the final selection hearings.