Acknowledgement and good advice for Aarhus 2017 from the EU

Acknowledgement for strong business management, leadership and governance and recommendations for the development of the programme of Aarhus 2017. These are the messages of a new report by a panel of experts in the EU that monitors the development of the European Capitals of Culture.

Programme development, marketing and international perspective are some of the themes that a panel of experts from the EU recommends Aarhus 2017 to focus on in 2015. The recommendations can be found in the report: "Aarhus. European Capital of Culture 2017. First Monitoring Meeting", which is published on the website of the Commission 18. December.

"We are pleased that overall it is a positive report, in which the Panel acknowledges our efforts in the last year. At the same time, the report's recommendations for the development of the programme are entirely in line with our own focus areas for 2015, so it is a report which we are happy to receive," says Managing Director Rebecca Matthews.

In the report, which is made on the basis of a meeting between the EU Monitoring and Advisory Panel and representatives from Aarhus 2017s Management on November 19. this year, the Panel particularly highlights a strong leadership and management of Aarhus 2017 and also notes that much has been achieved in connection to involving stakeholders and groups of interest. It also signalled good strategic direction with 2017’s Strategic Business Plan (to be released primo 2015) and that 2017’s private sector funding is sound.

Next, the Panel turns its attention on the development of the programme and marketing, and calls for an even greater focus on the international perspective and a faithful adherence to the Bid Book.

"The Panel consists of highly competent and experienced cultural actors, where parts of the Panel have been Directors of former European Capitals of Culture. Therefore, their recommendations are more than welcome, because even though Aarhus 2017 is a unique project in both concept and structure, we can still learn a lot from our predecessors. Both in terms of their successes, but of course also on their general experience with projects of this size," says Rebecca Matthews.

The Director points out that the Management of Aarhus in 2017 is already busy finding answers to the challenges listed in the report. Among others, since September focus has been on ensuring consistency between the original application and the programme development in Aarhus 2017. And also on ensuring the strong regional focus and the international perspective of the project. Tasks that the future Programme Director and the new Creative Advisor will continue working on.

"When working with a project of this nature and volume that we have in 2017, there needs to be a high level of ambition and room for improvement, and when we compare with the reports we have seen from the EU to other European Capitals of Culture in the same phase, we can be very pleased," says Rebecca Matthews.

Facts
The report is published Tuesday, December 16. on the website of the Commission: "Aarhus. European Capital of Culture 2017. First Monitoring Meeting ".

The Monitoring and Advisory Panel consists of:
• Mr. Steve Green (United Kingdom) - EUNIC (European Network of National Cultural Institutes) and the British Council.
• Dr. Ulrich Fuchs (Germany) - part of Management at European Capital of Culture Linz 2009 and Marseille 2012
• Mr. Jordi Pardo (Spain) - responsible for cultural projects in the field of international culture
• Mr. Norbert Riedl (Austria) - Head of Department for bi-and-multilateral cultural affairs at the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, the Arts and Culture
• Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Vitouch (Austria) - representing the Commission for Culture and Education of the Committee of the Regions and a member of the Vienna City government
• Dr. Suzana Žilič Fišer (Slovenia) – former Head of ECoC 2012 in Maribor
• Mrs. Anu Kivilo (Estonia) - Managing Director of the International Arvo Pärt Cent

Contact
For further information, contact Head of Press Peter Vestergaard at mobile 20 13 10 90 or mail peter.vestergaard@aarhus2017.dk

Rebecca Matthews can be reached through Peter Vestergaard.