Molenbeek's bid to become European Capital of Culture in 2030 was unanimously supported by the French-speaking Parliament of Brussels on Friday, Belga News Agency reports.
Notably, in a tense political climate in Brussels since the last elections, this resolution, initiated by Mounir Laarissi (Les Engagés), was supported by all political groups.
A similar resolution was adopted unanimously by the Brussels Parliament a week earlier.
The draft resolution expresses the support of the French-speaking Parliament of Brussels for Molenbeek's candidacy and calls on the College to support the preparation of this candidacy, in particular by including the necessary resources for the implementation of the MB2030 project in the next draft budget.
During the debate, tensions were evident between the Liberals, who refuse to work ‘with the communists’, and the PTB, with the former refusing to sign the text. The PTB nevertheless voted in favour of the text, but not without strongly deploring this political fact.
Molenbeek is competing with other Belgian cities (Leuven, Namur) for the title of ‘European Capital of Culture in 2030’.
On 2 September 2024, the first version of the application file was submitted to the independent European jury, composed of 12 members appointed by the European Commission.
The project was then presented orally to the European jury in October 2024. Following this procedure, the three Belgian cities mentioned above remain in the running to become European Capital of Culture in 2030.
A second bid book is being prepared for a visit by the jury and a second presentation next September. The final selection will take place in the second half of this year.
