Pécs?s progress is similar to that of earlier winners of the European Capital of Culture title, such as Graz or Lille, Csák said.
Funding for projects related to the title have already started. These projects include not only ones directly related to events in 2010, but also infrastructural projects which must be decided on by the rest of the region?s bigger cities.
In the next budget period, some HUF 9.5bn is expected to be made available for the operating costs of programmes related to the title, depending on a government decision in November.
Csák noted that the Ministry of Education and Culture had made projects related to the title a top priority because such an opportunity for cultural developments in the city and the region have not been seen for the last fifty years and probably will not happen for the coming fifty years either. So much money from EU sources has never been available before for city and cultural developments related to the title of European Capital of Culture, Csák said. He added that the EU is financing not just culture, but also developments which will serve the region for years to come.
The preparations are not just about 2010, Csák said, rather they create a framework for developments from 2008 until 2030.
Pécs?s title of European Capital of Culture 2010 should be made a country-wide affair, just as the World Cup became a national event in Germany, Csák said.
Preparations for the title will require about HUF 35bn, and operating costs will come to another HUF 20bn.
