bundeskanzleramt.gv.at ECoC 2024 in Austria Experience and remarks by the Austrian Federal Chancellery (Coordinator) bundeskanzleramt.gv.at ECoC 2024 Selection process in Austria ECOC – Slovakia 2026: Information Day 17 January 2020, Bratislava bundeskanzleramt.gv.at 12 November 2019: Bad Ischl – Salzkammergut will be ECoC 2024 in Austria • Final announcement: https://youtu.be/NvMcHkl18iI?t=908 • Reaction in Bad Ischl: https://youtu.be/Ha_jdVm64Do?t=7 3 bundeskanzleramt.gv.at More than three years ago… • After Graz 2003 and Linz 2009… who would be interested? • Every city in Austria with more than 10.000 inhabitants • 85 cities invited to participate • 17 cities at the first information event 4 bundeskanzleramt.gv.at European trend from bigger cities… … to smaller towns and their regions • Graz: ≈295.000 inhabitants • Linz: ≈207.000 inhabitants • Bad Ischl: ≈14.000 inhabitants • Bad Ischl + Salzkammergut: ≈102.000 inhabitants 5 bundeskanzleramt.gv.at Strengthen the competition… • The Federal Chancellery conducted a workshop series for interested cities from September 2016 until June 2018 • Outcome: capacity building, peer-learning, networking 6 bundeskanzleramt.gv.at … towards a fair and friendly rivalry 7 bundeskanzleramt.gv.at Time-table of ECoC Selection 2024 in Austria 8 bundeskanzleramt.gv.at Three bidding cities: Dornbirn, Bad Ischl, St. Pölten Three strong bidbooks in the first round (pre-selection) All three cities got invited into the second round (selection) Linz St. Pölten Bad Ischl Dornbirn Graz 9 bundeskanzleramt.gv.at European trend towards smaller budgets? in € Million Graz 2003 Linz 2009 Rijeka 2020 Novi Sad 2021 Timișoara 2021 Elefsina 2021 Esch 2022 Kaunas 2022 Veszprém 2023 Bad Ischl 2024 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 10 bundeskanzleramt.gv.at Authenticity and Creativity It is not (only) about… • … the highest number of inhabitants… • ... the biggest banc account... • … the strongest press coverage… • … the number of cultural institutions… • … the strongest political support when starting… 11 bundeskanzleramt.gv.at Authenticity and Creativity Be authentic, be creative: find the European story in your town and tell us who you want to be in 2026 and beyond! 12 bundeskanzleramt.gv.at Thank you very much! Kathrin Kneissel & Meena Lang Federal Chancellery European and international cultural policy.