Novi Sad was named 2021 European Capital of Culture. Novi Sad will share the title with Timisoara in Romania and and a city in Greece that will be selected in a few weeks out of the three shortlisted cities (Elefsina, Kalamata and Rhodes).
European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Tibor Navracsics said he was pleased that in 2021 we would have the first European Capital of Culture in a candidate country.
“The opening of this prestigious European programme to those countries seeking full membership is a way to bring them closer to and reinforce their cultural links with the Union,” Navracsics said.
“I am confident that Novi Sad will give visitors from Europe and all over the world the opportunity to discover the city and its cultural assets, but also to appreciate the diversity of cultures in Europe as well as our shared values,” he added.
“I am confident that the title will bring Novi Sad significant long-term cultural, as well as economic and social benefits, as we have seen with many previous European Capitals of Culture,” he concluded.
Following the final presentation of the “2021 Novi Sad” project held by the Novi Sad delegation, a panel of independent experts made a historic decision that Novi Sad should be the first city outside the EU to hold the title.
The panel of experts reached the decision following a visit to Novi Sad and an elaborate 112-page analysis of Novi Sad’s application.
The final phase included “a defence” of the candidacy: the delegation, consisting of artists, professors, urban planners and curators from Novi Sad, led by the Mayor of Novi Sad Milos Vucevic and President of the Organising Committee of Novi Sad 2021 Nemanja Milenkovic, held a several hours long oral presentation of the application.
The Mayor of Novi Sad Milos Vucevic said on this occasion that awarding the title to Novi Sad opened new and massive doors to further development of Novi Sad and Serbia that would surpass the area of culture.
Nemanja Milenkovic of the EXIT Foundation said the programme concept of “Novi Sad 2021“ comprised four areas fused together under the slogan “4 new bridges“.
“Winning this prestigious title will help us build bridges both literally and metallographically in terms of standards, methods, principles, but above all the values we will share with all the people in Europe,“ Milenkovic said.
European Capital of Culture initiative has been launched to highlight the richness and diversity of European cultures, strengthen the cultural ties among Europeans, connect people from different European countries, learn more about other cultures, promote mutual understanding and strengthen the sense of Europeanism.
