Portuguese city Guimaraes launched the start of its year as European Capital of Culture (ECOC) on Saturday (21 January) against a backdrop of budget cuts which threaten to derail the success of the event.
The city celebrated its event with a sparkling lights and art display hosted by European Commission President Jose Barroso. Speaking at the launch, Barroso said that "without culture, Europe has no direction".
Both Guimaraes and Slovenian city Maribor, with whom it is sharing ...
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Benjamin Fox is a seasoned reporter and editor, previously working for fellow Brussels publication Euractiv. His reporting has also been published in the Guardian, the East African, Euractiv, Private Eye and Africa Confidential, among others. He heads up the AU-EU section at EUobserver, based in Nairobi, Kenya.