ECOC Echo

Since 2020s, the nominated European Capitals of Culture (ECoC) are from peripheral regions of the countries and engage their hinterland, not only the city. Hence ECoCs with their legacy can be powerful tools and game changers for regional development of the designated countries.
Preparations and carrying out ECoC year constitute an enormous effort by the city and the surrounding municipalities that team up to make spotlight year a success. People are doing things together, they used to think as impossible, the intensity and scope of inter-sectoral and territorial cooperation is unprecedented.
The issue ECoCs need to address is how to sustain this experience and be able to accomplish the impossible with the same regional stakeholders – municipal leaders, regional developers, culture and tourism experts – also beyond spotlight year. How to sustain the momentum, and what are the good approaches and mechanisms for maximising the utilisation of the legacy of ECoCs in regional development.
The project wants to
1. Increase the role and capacities of regional stakeholders, as amplifiers of the ECoC legacy.
2. Improve the effectiveness of the approaches and initiatives that support utilisation of the ECoC legacy.
3. Improve knowledge sharing and collaboration between ECoC cities across Europe, fostering a network of learning and exchange for sustaining the legacy of ECoCs.
The project partners are ECoCs from Leeuwarden 2018, Novi Sad 2022, Veszprem 2023, Tartu 2024, Chemnitz 2025, Oulu 2026, Liepaja 2027, Evora 2027 and Bourges 2028. For influencing policy level changes we have engaged also Association of Tartu County Municipalities in Estonia, Ministry of Public Administration and Regional Development in Hungary, Council of Val de Loire Regional Center in France, Intermunicipal Community of Alentejo Central in Portugal, City of Chemnitz in Germany, City of Novi Sad in Serbia, City of Oulu in Finland, and City of Liepaja in Latvia as project partners.