"The European Capital of Culture 2025 Nova Gorica - Gorizia has so far demonstrated a serious commitment to the project and significant progress," the European Commission announced yesterday.The European Capital of Culture 2025 Nova Gorica - Gorizia team (the GO! 2025 Institute and the EGTC GO), together with the two Mayors, Samo Turel and Rodolfo Ziberna, reported on the development of the project to the international expert commission on 16 May this year, and yesterday the commission published an encouraging report.

The report recognises the important steps that have been taken in the preparation of the programme and congratulates the European Capital of Culture team for working together to establish a clear division of tasks and workflows and to simplify the complex management of the cross-border capital. It also noted that it appreciated the commitment in signing project contracts with both public institutions and NGOs.

The experts, most of whom have experience in different aspects of the organisation of European Capitals of Culture, also considered that progress had been made in the area of information and involvement of the local environment, highlighting in particular the work of Xcenter, the creative practices centre in Nova Gorica. The Committee recognises the progress made in building international networks through staff reinforcement and closer links with European cultural centres and cultural networks. Learning from the experience of previous ECOCs is also particularly appreciated.

The report calls on the mayors of Nova Gorica and Gorizia to intensify negotiations to obtain the additional state budget needed to implement the programme in the application book.

Astra Vrečko, Minister of Culture in Slovenia, has already reacted to yesterday's report of the European Commission: "We are delighted that the European Capital of Culture project, for which we allocated €10 million last year immediately after its arrival at the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, is progressing so well. The European Commission's partial report concludes that the cross-border project is well conceived, and our greatest credit and thanks go to all those involved in the preparation of the project. I wish you all the best for the future and I believe that 2025 will be a really special year for Nova Gorica and Gorizia."

Gorazd Božič, CEO of GO! 2025, commented on the positive report, saying that "we are facing a crucial year of intensive preparations for 2025, so such a positive assessment by experienced European experts from outside is justified and welcome. It confirms our good and dedicated work over the last year and the achievement that we have been able to clearly divide, take over and start implementing all the tasks for the quality implementation of the first cross-border European Capital of Culture during my leadership of GO!2025".

The Commission sees the completion of the renovation works in the area of Europe Square as an important message to other European cities divided by borders, as it is this area that has the symbolic and communicative power of culture to transcend historical divides.

Romina Kocina, CEO of EGTC GO, said that "the final preparations for the construction work in Europe Square are progressing according to schedule" and she remains optimistic. She shares the satisfaction of the two Mayors at the findings of the Evaluation Commission that there is a positive cooperation between the two cities, as well as between the two entities (GO!2025 and EGTC GO), which have managed to find a balance in their challenging cross-border work.

The report encourages the whole team to pay particular attention to the EPIC programme - the European Platform for 20th Century Interpretation. The experts conclude the report with an encouraging assessment of the commitment of the cross-border team to "a story without borders" and encourages Nova Gorica and Gorizia 2025 to become a laboratory for other border cities in Europe and worldwide.