Mayor of Veszprém and ECoC Leaders Meet Over 60 Mayors on Regional Partnership

Gyula Porga opened the event with a thought that used to overarch the whole bidding period: “From the very beginning, what we sought for was what connects us and not what separates us. If we keep taking these principles seriously, that will set out the road ahead of us. It is not only Veszprém that the success of the programme depends on: we also need the towns of the region, the villages, civil organisations and business actors. As I have often put it: we have made it among the best to the main round of the Champions League; now it is here that we have to show what we have got in us.” 

ECoC Government Commissioner Dr. Tibor Navracsics continued the presentation with a wider look on Europe: “Analysing former successes of ECoC cities we got the picture that programmes which did well were based on successful cooperation between the given town, the region, and its people. In every respect Veszprém and the Bakony-Balaton region is on a par with European regions of similar characteristics. Our task now is to show ourselves to the whole continent. For this very reason, we are working on a regional model which is based on local characteristics, and generates economic growth with the help of culture.”

Alíz Markovits, CEO of Veszprém-Balaton 2023 JLC stressed: “We do not look upon ECoC as a row of events which ends after grand fireworks at the end of the year, but rather as a development programme anchored in the identity of the area’s residents. This gave us the foundation for defining the programme’s values, which we would like locals and our partners to build into their plans.  So, for our success we must put great emphasis on building communities, innovation and sustainability, and if we have got all this, we need to focus on celebration, which makes us a region of the joy of life.”

Friderika Mike, ECoC’s Programme Development Director presented the various types of projects under the programme. “We have projects of our own development, the concepts of which come from the core team and are carried out with the help of our colleagues, for example Filmpicnic or the opening event of the 2023 season. We also co-produce projects with partners in creating the ideas and carrying out the programmes, and we will work together with tender-funded and partnership-based initiatives. It is important to note that ECoC does not provide contributions to operation but in all cases expects partners to develop the given event or project in return for the support and thus enrich the repository of the region’s cultural values.”