A total of 14 Romanian cities are in the race for the European Capital of Culture 2021 title, as experts from the European Commission validated their candidacy files. The 14 cities are Alba Iulia, Arad, Bacău, Baia Mare, Braşov, Brăila, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, Iaşi, Sfântu Gheorghe, Suceava, Timişoara, and Târgu Mures.

A preselection meeting will take place between December 7 and December 10, according to a statement of the Romanian Ministry of Culture. Following this meeting, the European jury will draw up a shortlist of candidate cities.

“The high number of candidate cities demonstrates this initiative’s success in Romania, as well as the fact that the cultural diversity plays a fundamental role in the creation of the European project,” said Culture Minister Ionut Vulpescu.

“I am convinced that the high number of candidacies will be followed by practical, concrete actions taken to support the communities’ projects, to prove their seriousness,” he added.

The Romanian Ministry of Culture supports the cities’ candidacies and will assist the winning city in organizing the events, projects and initiatives meant to give a concrete content to the status of European Capital of Culture 2021, reads the Ministry’s statement.

The European Capital of Culture initiative was developed in 1985. The 2015 European Capitals of Culture are Mons in Belgium and Plzen in the Czech Republic. Romania’s Sibiu was the European Capital of Culture in 2007.

Romania’s Brasov sets EUR 20 mln budget for the European Capital of Culture project.

Romania’s Arad to spend over EUR 50 mln on becoming the European Capital of Culture.

Romania’s Cluj-Napoca pays EUR 15 mln to become European Cultural Capital.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com