The money will be used for preparations for the year Pécs enjoys the title as well as the programmes themselves. The state will pay for 40 percent of the costs, and the city of Pécs and sponsors will pay for the rest.
Hiller said the preparations and events for the title were the biggest cultural undertaking Hungary has seen since the fall of communism. No Hungarian city has ever taken the title European Capital of Culture, and, after Pécs?s turn, no Hungarian city will until 2016, he added.
Pécs may be the only city to enjoy the title, but it shares its prestige with the rest of the country, he said.
Tasnádi said Pécs plans to make developments worth HUF 45 billion forints before 2010, with the help of non-profit and for-profit sponors.
Tasnádi introduced Márton Méhes, the newly appointed artistic director of the 2010 European Capital of Culture programme, and Tibor Kiss, who will serve as the programme?s general director.
Méhes, 32, is the curator for the Hungarian Culture Season in Germany this year. He was also deputy-director of the Collegium Hungaricum in Berlin. Méhes is a graduate of Pécs University and the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE).
Tasnádi said the local council had searched for a candidate for the position whose knowledge was not limited to just a single area, who could handle cultural as well as management tasks, and one who was well connected.
