Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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628. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the timeline for the application process for the European Capital of Culture bid for 2020, for which several cities, including Galway, are planning submissions. [2736/15]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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On 17 December 2014 I launched an open competition for the selection of an Irish city as European Capital of Culture 2020. Under the programme, two cities are designated a Capital of Culture each year. In 2020, Ireland will share the designation with Croatia.

Interested cities have until 17 October this year to make an application. A short-list will then be drawn up by the International Panel, and the short-listed cities will have a further nine months in which to develop and refine their applications. The winning city will be named in mid to late 2016, leaving at least three years to prepare for the year of designation in 2020. The European Union provides funding of €1.5 million for the winning city by way of the Melina Mercouri prize.

The competition is being organised by my Department. Decisions on the short listing and selection of the European Capital of Culture will be made by an International Panel of ten experts appointed by the European Institutions.

An information meeting for interested cites, presented by an official of the European Commission, was held in Dublin on 12 January 2015.

Full details of the application process are available on my Department's website.