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The mayor of Viana do Castelo said that the municipality is preparing a “strong” candidacy for European Capital of Culture in 2027, after the publication, today, in the Diário da República of the announcement of the invitation to that initiative.
“We are preparing a strong candidacy for Viana do Castelo based on its strong cultural identity, very much based on ethnography, clothing and popular culture, but also very supported by its coastal maritime culture,” the president told the Lusa agency today. of the autarky, José Maria Costa.
Contacted about the publication, in the Diário da República (RD), of the invitation to present candidacies and internal regulations for the election, in Portugal, of the European Capital of Culture in 2027, the socialist mayor stressed that, “since its foundation , Viana do Castelo has a great tradition linked to the sea ”, pointing out as examples“ cod fishing and shipbuilding ”.
We have a unique heritage and that is why we think that an application based on these two pillars will be very strong, ”he stressed.
José Maria Costa said that the capital of Alto Miño “has been participating in meetings with the Ministry of Culture and has attended other cities that also expressed their intention to apply for the European Capital of Culture in 2027.”
“We are waiting for the presentation invitation. As soon as we have access to the regulations and all the documentation, we start the application file, ”he said.
Questioned by Lusa, José Maria Costa explained that the municipality will compete alone, since the regulation does not allow joint applications, as previously considered.
In January, for Lusa, the mayor was available to join a joint candidacy with other cities in the North region.
“It is a possibility that is on the table and that makes a lot of sense. If some municipalities in the Northern region intend to apply, an exchange and cooperation project may arise that values resources and gives more strength to the application itself, ”he said at the time.
Portugal will host the European Capital of Culture in 2027, along with a Latvian city.
The two selected countries are in charge of organizing the competition between their cities, and for this they must publish an invitation to submit applications six years in advance.
Once the applications have been submitted, which should focus on the creation of a cultural program with a European dimension, it will be up to each Member State to convene a jury to pre-select the candidate cities, this up to five years before.
In addition to Viana do Castelo, the cities of Leiria, Faro, Évora, Coimbra, Aveiro, Braga, Guarda and Oeiras have already been announced.
The final decision will be made by the countries and must be made up to four years before the title.
Portugal has already received the European Capital of Culture three times: 1994 (Lisbon), 2001 (Porto) and 2012 (Guimarães).
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