[**claire**]

A committee of experts has sped up its activities to make Istanbul the European Capital of Culture in 2010.



Nuri Çolakoğlu, head of the executive committee of the coordination body set up for the project, said they hoped to prepare the necessary files to put forward Turkey's nomination before the end of this year.

Designed to "contribute to bringing the peoples of Europe together," the European City of Culture project was launched by the European Union, following the initiative of former Greek Culture Minister and actress Melina Mercouri in 1985.

In 2000, 13 nongovernmental organizations started work to nominate Turkey to the project and in 2003, Turkey officially sent a letter of intent to the European Commission. Turkey's initiative, supported by the Prime Ministry, gained momentum in March of this year after talks in Brussels with EU officials.

Çolakoğlu, speaking at a meeting at the Istanbul Modern Art Museum to inform the public of Turkey's nomination, along with a German town and Budapest, said a number of projects have to be launched and some parts of Istanbul have to be restored to make Istanbul the European Capital of Culture in 2010. The EU has started to choose a city from candidate states along with one from its current members.

Çolakoğlu said the projects include the conversion of a near-derelict Greek orphanage at Büyükada into a “Writers' House” and setting up a museum of religious icons behind Aya İrini Museum in Sultanahmet. He said funding for each project would be separate.

The European Capital of Culture is decided each year by the European Council on a European Commission recommendation, which will take into account the view of a jury comprising seven prominent independent members, each of them experts in area of culture.

Since its start with Athens in 1985, the European Capital of Culture has become ever more popular with the citizens of Europe and has seen its cultural and socioeconomic influence grow as the designated capital city attracts many visitors.

Istanbul Governor Muammer Güler told the meeting Turkey expects 10 million visitors in 2010 if the nomination is successful.

Turkey has to supply its formal application by June 15 as the nomination has to be submitted five years before the event and submit its final project file by Nov. 15 of this year. After the project files have been prepared, Turkey has to defend this before a European jury in May 2006. The European Council will make a decision next year regarding the 2010 venue.

Following Genoa and Lille in 2004, the 2005 European Capital of Culture is Ireland's city of Cork. Exhibitions, concerts, theater, dance and much more will be on offer in the city this year. In 2006 the Greek city of Patras, in 2007 Luxembourg and Sibiu, Romania, and in 2008 Liverpool from the UK and Norway's Stavenger have been chosen European culture capitals.

[x0x_JoAnNe_x0x]

awww thats great news! now other people will realise why we love Turkey so much! does this mean that Turkey will be accepted as a European Country now?

[Shannon]

That is fantastic and no other city in Europe deserves it more. This year Cork City in Ireland was the European capital of Culture and im really not sure how ha ha