The Agency for the Promotion of Atlantic Culture was the entity hired by the municipality of Funchal to coordinate the first phase of submission of the candidacy for the title of European Capital of Culture in the year 2027. -how of APCA regarding the conception and execution of cultural and artistic projects of European and transnational scope, taking as an example projects such as the MADEIRADiG Festival, SABOREA - Sustainable Routes of the Gastronomic Heritage of the Atlantic, or more recently the European pilot project dedicated to the development of the cultural and creative sector of the ORs, Archipel.eu.

For this purpose, a contract for the acquisition of services was signed in which the main tasks of the parties were signed, and APCA is responsible for the overall coordination of the pre-selection phase of the European Capital of Culture program, “ensuring the preparation of the strategic orientation and the respective application dossier”, a process for which a specification was prepared, which includes the creation of the functional structure, with the constitution of a multidisciplinary team, and the elaboration of a general plan of action in several areas, with special focus on artistic, social and educational areas.

Ten other Portuguese cities compete for the title of European Capital of Culture for the year 2027, namely: Ponta Delgada, Faro, Évora, Oeiras, Leiria, Coimbra, Aveiro, Braga, Viana do Castelo and Guarda. In the pre-selection phase, to take place in March 2022, three ages should be selected, with the final decision taking place in 2023.