What are the criteria to apply for the title of European Capital of Democracy?

The ECoD team checks if the interested city is suitable for participation in the process, fulfills the formal criteria, and meets the organizational and technical prerequisites. Qualified cities will be admitted to the ECoD Call and officially enter the submission phase.

In order to compete for the title of European Capital of Democracy, cities have to submit a strong mission statement, a convincing selection of three proven and innovative democracy projects, and three pitches for new projects in the pipeline, to be presented and advanced further during the Programme Year.

The projects submitted by the cities should make a substantial contribution in the five areas targeted by ECoD Initiative. All projects must therefore tackle issues related to one or more of the five Dimensions of Democracy: Community, Empowerment, Participation, Sustainability and Technology. Furthermore, at least one of the projects must tackle the issue of climate change.