Nikšić’s “Open City” and “Being Human” approach convinced the independent panel. The ten experts proposed Nikšić over Lviv (Ukraine) to win the ECoC 2030 non-EU country title, following Novi Sad (Serbia) in 2022, Bodø (Norway) in 2024, and Skopje (North Macedonia) in 2028.
By Creatives Unite Newsroom21 October - Nikšić celebrates becoming European Capital of Culture 2030 in a non-EU country, as announced in a ceremony in Brussels, by the European Commission's ECoCs experts panel.
The winning proposal of Nikšić launched the idea of the “open city” as a response to global tensions and divisions. The delegation’s bid was developed around the concept of “čojstvo” (“being human”). According to the organisers: “Through a powerful cultural programme, the title year will be an opportunity to showcase that openness and solidarity pave the way towards positive transformation: from creativity and learning to resilience and collective wellbeing”.
Becoming an ECoC, the city may further develop and benefit from the title, which brings investors, boosts tourism and may leave a sound legacy, as shown in a recent report. Set far from the sea and the Adriatic touristic destinations, some of the city's cultural offers to be discovered by ECoC enthusiasts include the Ostrog Monastery, the Bedem Fortress and the Cathedral, among others.
With an urban population of 66,700, Montenegro's second-largest city follows the path of Novi Sad (Serbia) in 2022, Bodø (Norway) in 2024, and Skopje (North Macedonia) in 2028, to receive the title of ECoC in a non-EU country.
Nikšić was shortlisted with Lviv to become the European Capital of Culture 2030 in an EFTA/EEA country, candidate country or potential candidate for EU membership. The experts panel expressed their hope "that Lviv will become European Capital of Culture at the earliest opportunity, without any competition, as we are convinced that this title will certainly not make us forget the horrors of an unjust war. But it would already be a small but important step forward".
Nikšić will share the title with Leuven, Belgium. The third ECoC 2030 city will be in Cyprus, either Larnaka or Lemesos, to be announced on December 2025.
Nikšić delegation team consisted of Marko Kovačević, Tamara Vujović, Mato Uljarević, Nemanja Popović, Aljoša Matović, Darko Aleksić, Lucija Strunjaš, Nataša Krivokapić, Anđela Nikčević, Nina Bogdanović, and Miljan Mijušković.
More on the plans of the Open City are to be found on the official website here, while organisers receive congratulations from European and other bodies, such as from WeBalkans.
While welcoming the title, there are as well voices expressing doubts regarding the city's mayor Marko Kovačević, as "a polarising figure ... who openly identifies as a Serbian nationalist, admirer of Vladimir Putin, and heir to the Chetnik tradition in Montenegro".
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Image: Courtesy of Niksic ECoC 2030.
