Veszprém is a finalist

It is great recognition and an excellent opportunity that, as per the recommendation of the independent professional committee of the pre-election meeting of the ECoC 2023, the joint application submitted by Veszprém and the Bakony-Balaton region was selected to be a finalist and will compete for the prestigious title at the end of 2018 with Debrecen and Győr.

In 2023, Hungary is entitled for the ECoC title for the second time. This time, seven Hungarian cities submitted their applications for this title in December 2017. Following the a pre-selection hearing, the independent committee of 12 experts announced the shortlisted cities on 15 February 2018.

Based on the committee’s suggestion, the joint application of Veszprém and Bakony-Balaton region, as well as Debrecen and Győr have the opportunity to further develop their ideas and suggestions and participate in the ECoC 2023 finals at the end of the year.

“It is a great opportunity for the citizens of Veszprém and the Bakony-Balaton region that their joint application was shortlisted. I am delighted that the professional committee has recognised the potential of the Veszprém 2023 application. We continue the preparation as of tomorrow. Our proposal offers various solutions to the region to improve the quality of the life by empowering young talents, creating jobs, reducing migration, and remedying the challenges of seasonality,” said Gyula Porga following the announcement of the result. Mayor of Veszprém added: “On behalf of myself and my colleagues, I congratulate the other finalist cities, Debrecen and Győr, and I wish them all the best for their preparation.”

According to the mayor, this is a competition where, regardless of which city is awarded the title, all applicants win, even those cities that were not selected for the finals. During the preparatory work, each participant drafted urban development programmes aiming to come up with solutions for local challenges to create a happier social and cultural life for their citizens through both infrastructural and civil society development, and by the involvement of less active communities.

It is the first time that a city and a region has applied jointly for the ECoC title. The joint application offers many more opportunities, but it is also a challenge to take all participants’ interests and needs into consideration. The months-long dialogue and cooperation resulted in a very high-quality application, which was highly acknowledged by the committee as well.

Gyula Porga added: “I would like to express my deep thanks and gratitude to all the local experts, artists, representatives of the NGOs, the members of Veszprém 2023 Arts Council, the citizens, and the presentation team participating in the pre-election meeting for their time and effort devoted to supporting our application. Special thanks to the 2023 Veszprém Ambassadors as well our international partner cities for their warm-hearted support for contributing to the region’s happier future.”

The intensive preparatory work continues in the next ten months. More details on the upcoming plans and steps will be announced by the Mayor at a press conference on May 19, 2018, in Veszprém City Hall.

The ECoC 2023 Veszprem’s application in English can be found  here .