The four Romanian cities shortlisted for the European Capital of Culture 2021 title have entered the final stage of the competition, presenting their projects to a jury of independent experts this week.

On Friday, September 16, the Ministry of Culture will announce the name of the Romanian city recommended for this title, culture minister Corina Suteu wrote on Facebook. The jury will have to choose between Baia-Mare, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, and Timisoara.

The European Capital of Culture initiative was developed in 1985 and the title has, to date, been awarded to more than 50 cities across the European Union. Romania’s Sibiu held this title in 2007.

The 2016 Capitals of Culture are Donostia-San Sebastian in Spain and Wroclaw in Poland. Next year’s Capitals of Culture are Aarhus in Denmark and Pafos in Cyprus, followed in 2018 by Leeuwarden (Netherlands) and Valetta (Malta), in 2019 by Plovdiv (Bulgaria) and Matera (Italy), and in 2020 by Rijeka (Croatia) and Galway (Ireland).

The Capital of Culture title also has a significant economic stake, as the selected cities benefit from international exposure and draw more tourists due to various cultural events. This also boosts the local hospitality sector.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com