Project objectives

Several European Capital of Culture projects have been or will be organised by cities located in border regions such as Lille 2004, Luxembourg-Grande Région 2007, Pécs 2010, Košice 2013, Mons 2015, Donostia 2016, Rijeka 2020, Novi Sad, 2021, Timisoara 2021 and Esch-sur-Alzette 2022.... These cities are not required to highlight a "cross-border" dimension in their cultural programming or their urban cohesion policy implemented on this occasion. Therefore, the establishment of a cultural policy that takes into account urban areas located in neighbouring countries adjacent to the border is a fundamental step towards local community integration, especially since one third of Europeans live in border regions.

The objective of the Jean Monnet "CECCUT" network (European Capitals of Culture and Cross-border Urban Cohesion) is to investigate the potential of the European Capital of Culture initiative as a lever for Community integration in the cross-border areas of the European Union. More broadly, the network aims to analyse the possible roles of cultural capitals in the process of European integration, in relation to the evolutions of territorial cooperation mechanisms (Interreg programmes, macro-regional strategies, etc.).

The targeted works of this network are based on the three following themes put forward by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union concerning the European Capitals of Culture scheduled for the period 2020-2033. They are addressed through the prism of the cross-border context of:

  1. Strengthening the sense of belonging to a common cultural space -> What about supporting a cross-border sense of belonging which integrates the national, regional and urban identities involved, including that of diasporas?
  2. Supporting social inclusion through culture with particular attention to young people and marginalised groups. -> What about the social inclusion of European youth, vulnerable populations and non-EU migrants in border areas?
  3. Promoting relations between the cultural and creative sectors with those of urban development. -> What about the role of the cultural and creative economy in the cross-border urban development in a context where state borders can induce a series of differentials?