A united Algarve Completes Faro’s Bid for European Capital of Culture

The Algarve Intermunicipal Community (AMAL), The University of Algarve (UALG) and the Algarve Regional Tourism Board (RTA) will co-produce the application.The Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR), The Portuguese Institute of Sports and Youth (IPDJ) and the Regional Directorate for Culture have expressed their interest in collaborating.
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A regional, concerted and inclusive application was the guiding principle behind the Official Session held to establish local and regional collaboration agreements as part of Faro's Bid for the European Capital of Culture 2027, which took place on the 25th November at Teatro das Figuras in Faro. It was at this session that collaboration agreements were signed between the Municipality of Faro and the University of Algarve, the Algarve Regional Tourism Board and the Algarve Intermunicipal Community, thus formalising these entities as co-producers of the application. In this session, Collaboration Letters were also signed by the IPDJ Algarve Regional Directorate, the Algarve’s Regional Directorate for Culture the and CCDR, therefore formalising their interest in participating in this process, which aims to develop the region.
The session was rounded off with a lovely photograph taken of the Algarve’s key regional leaders, embodying the long-sought-after idea that Faro’s Bid for European Capital of Culture encompass the entire region. A session widely attended by the region’s life forces. 
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The Municipality of Faro invited UAlg, AMAL and RTA to co-produce Faro's bid for European Capital of Culture 2027. The three institutions will sit on the executive committee of the bid as well as on the general council. The leaders of the CCDR, IDPJ and Regional Directorate for Culture will also be part of a joint council, having signed collaboration letters with the municipality with a view to developing strategies, projects and programmes that will provide a positive contribution to the region, while respecting their institutional independence. “The leading regional institutions have united around a common objective. The population of the Algarve knows how to put aside their differences and gather together around what matters most, when it matters most” were the words spoken by the Mayor of Faro, Rogério Bacalhau, at the end of the session, an echo of all the speeches made by the representatives of the regional and local entities involved in the session who had already committed to the project, each in their own way, actively participating in this process, recognising the potential and wealth of the Algarve as a whole as being the driving force behind this bid. In his speech, Rogério Bacalhau stressed that this was a mission that demanded “a lot of humility and unity” from the councils and other entities involved, ensuring that this project does, in fact, have a future and that it is able to successfully transform the region.

In this session, a resolution passed by Faro Municipal Council which assesses the intentions behind the bid was also signed, though symbolically, by all 9 participants. Councilman Miguel Sengo da Costa highlighted the rebellious nature of this decision as an act of courage on behalf of the Mayor, reinforcing the spirit of unity between the municipal figures of different parties that came together at this time. 
Luis Graça, President of the Faro Municipal Assembly, also made a statement supporting the bid, listing personalities that have contributed to creating the unique cultural characteristics attributed to the Algarve over the last century. 

Before that, Carlos Martins, the former executive director of the Guimarães, European Capital of Culture 2012 project, congratulated the Mayor along with all the entities joining the project, explicitly highlighting their “courage to commit themselves to a project that is far greater than a term. 2027 is not on the immediate horizon of any of the current political agents”. Carlos Martins presented a set of fundamental principles relating to an application, warning that it is not a celebration, rather a transformative project. 

​At the end of the session, Rogério Bacalhau, Mayor of Faro, perfectly echoed the tone of the session, saying: “The main regional institutions have united around a common objective. The population of the Algarve knows how to put aside their differences and gather together around what matters most when it matters most.” Looking into the future and reinforcing the idea that this must be a project for everyone, for the people themselves, he also mentioned that “More than the bid itself, we’re interested in thinking about cities of the future and increasing cultural production, and creating better conditions in the South of the country for our agents to do just that”. 
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