Commission launches new edition of #CulturalAndCreativeCitiesMonitor 2019

Today (8 October), the European Commission released the second edition of its Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor, a tool designed to benchmark and boost the creative and cultural potential of European cities, which is vital to driving economic growth and social cohesion. After the success of the first edition in 2017, the 2019 release presents an updated portrait of Europe's cultural and creative richness in an extended sample of 190 cities in 30 countries, including Norway and Switzerland.

The Monitor was created by the Joint Research Centre, the Commission's science and knowledge service, and is accompanied by a revamped online tool which enables cities to add their own data for more in-depth coverage and benchmarking. Education, Culture, Youth, Sport Commissioner Tibor Navracsics, who is responsible for the Joint Research Centre, said: "The first edition of the Cultural and Creative City Monitor proved to be a success, enabling cities across Europe to boost development by better harnessing their cultural assets. I am confident that the second, expanded edition will be equally useful for city authorities, the cultural and creative sectors, and citizens themselves. The monitor is an excellent example of how the Joint Research Centre can empower policy-makers and help improve citizens' quality of life through concrete, evidence-based tools."

The Monitor supports EU policy on culture: it was a basis for the economic impact assessment underpinning the 2018 ‘New European Agenda for Culture', and is one of the actions included in the ‘European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage' to help ensure that the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 has a lasting impact. Launched in July 2017, the Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor uses quantitative and qualitative information to measure cities' cultural and creative potential. The monitor is expected to be updated every two years.

A press release, Q&A and 28 country factsheets are available online. 

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