Nova Gorica-Gorizia: MEPs visit the first cross-border European Capital of Culture 

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A delegation of three MEPs from the Committee on Culture and Education will visit the cities of Nova Gorica and Gorizia (Slovenia and Italy), from 27 to 29 October.

GO!2025 Nova Gorica-Gorizia is the first ever European Capital of Culture (ECoC) to be shared between two cities and countries.

MEPs will first meet at the EPICentre to discover the inspiration for the joint application by Nova Gorica and Gorizia, ongoing projects and the Capital of Culture legacy. The building itself was transformed from a former warehouse to a modern interpretation centre, providing a space for research, dialogue and the creation of collective memories.

During the second day, MEPs will meet Slovenian and Italian artists, who will present their projects and share their experiences of surmounting borders through cultural cooperation. The delegation will also visit Kinoatelje-Gorizia, a renowned cross-border film and cultural institute and will explore the region’s past through a smuggling tour. MEPs will talk to authorities from both countries: Marko Rusjan, State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture in Slovenia; Mario Anzil, Vice-President and Regional Minister for Culture and Sports of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia; Samo Turel, the mayor of Nova Gorica; and Patrizia Artico, Councillor responsible for the European Capital of Culture, Gorizia.

On the last day of the mission, MEPs will visit another symbol of the region’s history, the Rafut Park, a unique historical garden.


Quote

“CULT committee goes Borderless. For the first time an European Capital of Culture unites not only two cities but also two countries. Nova Gorica–Gorizia 2025 demonstrates how culture and cooperation overcome borders and transform shared history into shared progress. A role model for European regions and the European Union. I am looking forward to discovering how the programme, people and places can inspire culture, creativity and our European future," said the chair of the delegation Hannes Heide (S&D, AT).


List of participants

Hannes HEIDE (S&D, AT) - chair of the delegation

Manuela RIPA (EPP, DE)

Joanna SCHEURING-WIELGUS (S&D, PL)

Accompanying member

Matjaž NEMEC (S&D, SL)


Press conference

On Wednesday 29 October at 11.40 (local time), chair Hannes Heide will hold a press conference at the EPICenter (Kolodvorska pot 10, 5000 Nova Gorica, Slovenia).

For further information, please contact the European Parliament’s press officer in Slovenia Aleksandra Golob.

Email: aleksandra.golob@ep.europa.eu; phone +386 40 852 862.


Background

The border between Italy and then-Yugoslavia split this region in 1947. The Treaty of Paris placed Gorica, an economic centre with an ancient history (now Gorizia), in Italy, and gave rise to Nova Gorica, a new town built on the opposite side of the border, in Slovenia. Overnight, families and friends were separated.

The area was reconnected when Slovenia joined the EU in 2004. Their shared heritage culminated in GO! 2025, establishing Nova Gorica-Gorizia as the first ever “borderless” European Capital of Culture.

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Ref.:  20251020IPR31022