The Mayor of Cáceres, Rafa Mateos, celebrated today that the city has advanced to the final stage of the process to become European Capital of Culture in 2031, a step that, he noted, confirms the solidity of the cultural project presented to the European jury.
Mateos highlighted that Cáceres’ candidacy has succeeded in conveying to Europe a proposal based on culture’s capacity to transform society and on the idea of “Transcultura,” a concept that unites tradition and avant-garde and reflects the historical and contemporary role of Cáceres and Extremadura as a space for cultural exchange.
The Mayor wished to emphasize the institutional support that has accompanied the project since its inception and thanked all the administrations comprising the Cáceres 2031 Consortium for their involvement. In this regard, he underscored the collaboration between the Cáceres City Council, the Junta de Extremadura, and the provincial councils, as well as the support shown by representatives of various political sensibilities for a common candidacy for the city and the entire region.
Mateos also acknowledged the work carried out by the candidacy’s technical team, coordinated by Iris Jugo alongside the Councillor for Culture, Jorge Suárez, as well as the support of the people of Extremadura throughout the process.
Furthermore, he emphasized that the candidacy has the budgetary commitment and institutional support necessary to develop a solid and realistic cultural project, as required by European evaluation criteria.
The Mayor also wished to acknowledge the work carried out by all the cities that participated in the selection process, highlighting the effort and quality of the projects presented. Mateos noted that all candidacies have contributed to strengthening the role of culture as a driver of development in their territories and conveyed his respect and recognition to all of them.
In this regard, he announced that a request has been made, within the framework of the Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, for the candidate cities that do not obtain the European Capital title to be able to assume the Spanish Capital of Culture title in successive years until 2031. “In both cases, we are still awaiting a response from the central government,” he said.
Final Phase
After overcoming this first phase, the city now faces a new stage of the process in which the presented dossier, known as the bidbook, will be expanded with the aim of developing a more comprehensive project in the coming months.
In parallel, the City Council will continue to develop initiatives already planned within the candidacy, such as the Cultural Activation Office and the agenda of cultural projects scheduled for the short and medium term.
Mateos recalled that, if the planned deadlines are met, the European Commission will conduct a second evaluation of the finalist cities at the end of this year, while the definitive designation of the European Capital of Culture 2031 is expected to be announced at the beginning of 2027.
The Mayor also wished to convey a message of confidence in the city’s cultural project: “Whatever happens next year, Cáceres has already won,” he affirmed, emphasizing that the candidacy has enabled the generation of new tools, projects, and international networks that will contribute to the city’s cultural development in the coming years.
“We are convinced that culture is the way forward and that Cáceres is the best setting for projects and dreams to come true,” he concluded.
