Marseille-Provence 2013 Capital of Culture in March 2004 and later expanded their bid to include neighboring cities in Provence. A French jury selected Marseille as its choice in September 2008. In May 2009, the European Council officially announced that Marseille would be the European Capital of Culture in 2013 in parallel with the city of Košice in Slovakia. In 2006, the official Marseille-Provence 2013 association was created under French laws for non-profit organizations. It brought together members of both the public and private sectors and was first directed by Bernard Latarjet and then Jean-François Chougnet. The association administrative council was led by
American Capital of Culture the OAS's countries). It has three major objectives: The initiative was devised and is promoted by the American Capital of Culture Organization, a body set up in 1997, with the objective of promoting the American Capital of Culture and other, complementary cultural initiatives, which help to use culture as a key element in the development of the countries of the Americas. Any territory of the countries of the American continent that wish to develop the objectives of the American Capital of Culture may apply to be chosen as American Capital of Culture. "Territory" is deemed to be any physical area