With the aim of promoting cooperation within the scope of work as European Capitals of Culture, the cities of Liepāja, in Latvia, and Évora, in Portugal, both designated with the title in 2027, will sign tomorrow, in Évora, a Memorandum of Understanding. The event is part of the state visit of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Latvia, Egils Levit, to Portugal, which will include a visit to Évora.

The Memorandum of Understanding will be signed by the Mayors of Liepāja, Gunārs Ansiņš, and Évora, Carlos Pinto de Sá, at a ceremony with interventions by Inta Šoriņa, President of the Liepāja 2027 Foundation, and Paula Mota Garcia, Coordinator of the Évora 2027 Mission Team.

The document focuses particularly on cooperation regarding cultural projects that meet key goals of the European Capital of Culture, such as the socio-economic development of cities, the strengthening of local identity through culture, and the sharing of common European values. The memorandum also encourages exchange and capacity-building programmes for cultural organisations and in education, among other aspects.

Assuming itself as a "city of paradoxes and opposites", Liepāja 2027 puts the concept of (un)rest at the basis of a daring cultural and artistic programme, designed to respond to the regional, national and European challenges. In a similar way, crossing different scales (local, national and European), Évora 2027 proposes VAGAR - the full awareness that we, humans, are always at one with the universe - as an urgent future response to the challenges facing Humanity, as "another art of existence".

Évora 2027, European Capital of Culture, is promoted by the Executive Board Évora 2027, led by the Municipality of Évora. Other institutions in this Executive Board are the Alentejo Regional Directorate for Culture, University of Évora, Intermunicipal Community of Central Alentejo, Alentejo Regional Development Coordination Commission, Alentejo Regional Tourism Entity (ERT), Eugénio de Almeida Foundation and Alentejo Regional Agency for Tourism Promotion (ARPTA). Évora 2027 is supported by the four intermunicipal communities of the Alentejo, representing the region’s 47 municipalities.