Marseille-Provence 2013 a larger, decades-long, multibillion-dollar development effort to revitalize the city. The official designation of European Capital of Culture was created in 1985 with the goal of building ties between citizens of the European Union by celebrating both the diversity of European culture and its common history and values. The event is also considered an opportunity for a city or region raise its international profile and to foster urban renewal through investment in culture and tourism. Thus far, more than 40 cities have received the European Capital of Culture designation. The city of Marseille launched its candidacy to host the European
University Network of the European Capitals of Culture University Network of the European Capitals of Culture The University Network of the European Capitals of Culture(UNeECC), an international non-profit association, was founded upon the initiative of the University of Pécs in Pécs, Hungary in December 2006 by 15 founding members. UNeECC invites memberships in three different categories: The Secretariat of UNEECC is at the University of Pécs in Hungary. In 2007 the UNeECC GA and Conference was hosted by Lucian Blaga University in Sibiu. The Keynote Speaker of the Conference was Mr. Roger O’Keeffe Principal Administrator, from European Commission Directorate for Education and Culture. In 2008 the GA and