Eight Bulgarian cities submit bids for European Capital of Culture 2019
Mayors of eight Bulgarian cities were scheduled to hold a joint news conference with Culture Minister Petar Stoyanovic on October 18 as they formally presented their bids to be named European Capital of Culture 2019.
The bidding cities are Bourgas, Gabrovo, Plovdiv, Rousse, Sofia, Shoumen, Varna and Veliko Turnovo.
The winning city is chosen through a process that involves a two-stage selection process at national level, with a decision made by a 13-member panel of “independent experts” including six Bulgarians and seven from other EU member states.
The European Commission monitors and guarantees the implementation of a fully transparent and independent selection procedure, the Culture Ministry said.
Following the October 18 submission of bids, the first meeting of the jury for the preliminary selection of the best three candidates will be on December 10 and 12 2013.
The final selection from this shortlist of three candidate cities will be made in autumn 2014 and the formal adoption of the decision naming the Bulgarian city to be European Capital of Culture 2019 will be in May 2015 at a meeting of the Council of the European Union.
