Timişoara, a city in western Romania, will hold the European Capital of Culture title in 2023 after the European Parliament's CULT committee backed the proposed extension of 2020 European Capitals of Culture programs to next year. The decision was taken because of the delays caused by the pandemic.

On October 28, the CULT committee unanimously backed the Commission's proposal to extend the programs of the current European Capitals of Culture Rijeka (Croatia) and Galway (Ireland) until April 30, 2021.

The proposal also postpones the year in which Timișoara and Elefsina (Greece) are entitled to host the Capital of Culture title from 2021 to 2023.

It also postpones the year in which Novi Sad (Serbia) was due to host a European Capital of Culture program from 2021 to 2022.

"This decision offers the best solution for these cities to regain the missed opportunities due to the corona crisis. Holding the status of European Capital of Culture should be seen as a privilege to promote the cultural scene of the region and European values by bringing people and cultures together. In close cooperation with the involved stakeholders, the European Union is willing to provide additional chances for the affected cities to realize these objectives in a sanitary safe but culturally enriching fashion," rapporteur Željana Zovko said after the vote.

(Photo: Bogdan Lazar/ Dreamstime)

simona@romania-insider.com