How can cities join European Capital of Democracy?
Join our Network
Becoming European Capital of Democracy is a unique opportunity for cities with a population of over 100,000 inhabitants within the Council of Europe member states and Kosovo.
What are the benefits?
- International Reputation – gain an enhanced reputation as a centre of innovation
- Host Impactful Events – host international events and meetings of top European leaders
- Civic Pride – enjoy heightened civic pride and engagement
How are cities selected?
Based on transparent Evaluation Criteria (see below), interested cities put forward their applications in an annual Call. ECoD’s Experts’ Jury draws up a Shortlist of three outstanding contenders. The Citizens’ Jury, a network of over 4,500 engaged Europeans, will then select the next European Capital of Democracy.
What will happen next
This is the selection process for the title of European Capital of Democracy 2026 – read more about this year’s contenders here: Five Cities compete for the title of the European Capital of Democracy 2026.
- a Technical, Organisational and Democratic Self-Evaluation
- a Mission Statement
- an Executive Summary
- 3 flagship Democracy Projects and 3 future Project Ideas, which will form a part of the upcoming Democracy Year
ECoD NPO screens the applications and documents for admissibility and completeness, including a check of the Prerequisites (see below), and informs Applicant Cities about their admission to the European City Network and about the next steps.
The Experts’ Jury then evaluates all the applications, visits the most promising contenders, and draws up a shortlist of three Nominee Cities.
The Citizens’ Jury selects the European Capital of Democracy from the list of Nominee Cities.
Check out the Call Document:
What do we mean by Democracy?
We take a broad view of democracy, and a “Democracy Project” is any initiative with encompasses one or more of the Dimensions of Democracy:
Check the prerequisites
– Within the Council of Europe, plus Kosovo
– At least 100,000 inhabitants
– No municipal elections between March 2025 (winner’s announcement) and January 2026 (start of the programme year)
– Upholding democratic values of free, fair and regular elections of local government
Explore our Evaluation Criteria
The Experts’ Jury assesses the Applicant City’s Mission Statement, Democracy Projects and Ideas, and the local context according to the following criteria:
– Collaboration: Active partnerships with other organisations, institutions, and stakeholders
– Exchange: Communication, dissemination, and sharing of local initiatives
– Innovation: Ambition and appeal of the programme and its main activities
– Organisation: Management capacity, project and budget resources
– Output: Planned activities and dissemination measures, and how effectively they will reach the target audiences, media and citizens.