Full of posters and with little content: Palma incorporates an office for the European Capital of Culture

PalmA venue in the center of Palma, open Wednesday and Thursday mornings, is plastered with promotional posters. This is the latest development announced by Palma City Council regarding the project that has become the backbone of its cultural policies: the city's bid to become European Capital of Culture 2031. "Just as we've launched a website, we're opening a physical space so that everyone with ideas for this project can share them here," explained Dr. Riera, who has also joined this endeavor. The project is expected to involve operating expenses of €48 million and investments of €275 million over the next decade, according to estimates shared today, which will come from both inter-institutional collaboration and the private sector. In fact, Palma's mayor, Jaume Martínez, took the opportunity to announce the creation of an entity "with a public majority, independent artistic direction, and mechanisms for transparency and evaluation," the Palma 2031 Foundation, about which no further information was provided. It's worth remembering that the application period hasn't even closed yet, and at least 12 Spanish cities are vying for the award. The pre-selection of finalists is just a preliminary step towards receiving the recognition.

As for the new office, its presentation has raised more questions than it answers. as has happened so far in the vast majority of events related to Palma's candidacy for European Capital of CultureNo specific objectives or tasks have been defined beyond creating a space open to the public. Nor has any specific information been provided yet regarding the project's content as a candidate city, pending the official presentation to be held at the Ministry of Culture early next year. "We don't want to give our competitors any clues," Riera stated, although the other candidate cities should have their dossiers finalized by now, as the deadline for submission is the end of the month. In Palma's case, officials have indicated that it is a 60-page dossier that will be shared once the candidacy has been officially presented and that it aims to transform the campaign slogan, Mediterranean in motion, in a "method" that can guide the transformation of Palma in the coming years.

Antoni Riera, editorial coordinator

The other new development of the day has been the addition of Antoni Riera to the project. Until now, Sources from the city council had emphasized their intention to present a candidacy developed by a diverse and multidisciplinary team. And that is precisely why, last June, the members of the two working groups tasked with drafting the first version of the proposal were presented. Now, however, with only a few weeks left before the deadline to apply for this award, the position of drafting coordinator has been added, a role that Antoni Riera has been fulfilling, though it is unclear when he began this role. Both the new office and the economist's appointment were publicly presented this Tuesday at a press conference attended by the mayor, Jaime Martínez, and the Councilor for Culture, Javier Bonet; the Coordinator of Tourism and Culture, Fernando Gómez de la Cuesta; the Director General of Heritage and Interpretation for the city, Pilar Ribal; and the Director General of Cultural Projects, Gori Vicens.

When asked about the working process with the members of the working groups since their involvement, Antoni Riera emphasized that it has been "a team effort" and thanked the City Council for its mediation. Riera also spoke of the "risk of erosion" as one of the weaknesses affecting Palma today, one that, in his words, should serve as an "opportunity for its transformation." "When we analyzed the bids of other cities that became European Capitals of Culture, we saw that many stemmed from a scar: violence, war, borders… And in the case of Palma, there are no major scars, but there is a risk of erosion. It is a Mediterranean and tourist city, a situation that other European cities have also experienced, so we considered a transformation method that could be exported," explained the director of the Impulsa Foundation, who described the project as "coherent, cutting-edge, and creative."

Like the mayor of Palma, Riera has asserted that "whether we win or not, the journey will have been worthwhile." Martínez, for his part, insisted that "this isn't a project of the City Council or the governing team; it's a project for everyone," and defined it as a long-term strategy. "It's not a calendar of events for a year; it's a city strategy for an entire decade," he affirmed. "The European Capital of Culture designation integrates, accelerates processes, and establishes a legacy commitment," Martínez summarized before listing a long series of projects, headed by the redevelopment of Gesa, and including the new city interpretation center and the Music Box, which, as reported by ARA Baleares, will be inaugurated in at least four years.