Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 when Secret Garden beat the competition with "Nocturne". At the 1996 contest, held again in Norway, this time in the capital of Oslo, Norway came close to winning again, coming second with "I evighet", performed again by Elisabeth Andreassen. Since the country's debut Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) had been in charge of the Norwegian entry, and is also responsible in broadcasting Eurovision in Norway. Melodi Grand Prix 2008 was the selection process for the 47th song to represent Norway at the Eurovision Song Contest. NRK began their campaign for the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest on 9 July 2007. An open call
European Capital of Culture An international panel of cultural experts is in charge of assessing the proposals of cities for the title according to criteria specified by the European Union. For two of the capitals each year, eligibility is open to cities in EU member states only. From 2021 and every three years thereafter, a third capital will been chosen from cities in countries that are candidates or potential candidates for membership, or in countries that are part of the European Economic Area (EEA)– an example of the latter being Stavanger in Norway, which was a European Capital of Culture in 2008. A 2004