 |
Pécs has "successfully achieved progress in very many areas" since it was chosen to take the 2010 title in 2006, but it is still necessary to work out the programme for the year in more detail, to guarantee the financing for the programme and to see to it that the group of people overseeing the preparations stay the course and remain in their posts.
Pécs presented its own progress report on preparations it made before the panel in November and received a positive evaluation. In the latest assessment, the panel said Pécs has invested much energy in building up infrastructure, but it urged the city and the government to do everything possible to involve the civil sphere and the city's residents in preparations. This will ensure that the network developed in the run-up to the European Capital of Culture year can be used after 2010, the panel said.
The panel suggested that Pécs take steps now to involve itself in the European Union's cultural programmes, such as the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue.
The panel's members said Pécs's long-term concept is still unclear and pressed for it to work out the entire plan in more detail. The panel also pushed for state authorities to commit themselves to Pécs's plan for 2010 as well as its financing. They expressed worry about the certainty of the budget for the programme.
Pécs was not alone in this respect. The panel said in its assessment of Essen's progress that the city did not have the necessary funding to pay for its broad spectrum of programmes. It also said Essen's programme lacks focus.
The panel said financing for programmes in Istanbul was severely lacking.
The three cities will next report to the panel on their progress in the middle of 2009.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
