2012 ECoC Project of Maribor in collaboration with ‘Eastern Cohesion’ region: Challenges and Implications for ‘Return to Europe’

The EU's cultural policy is focused on fostering genuine European integration through a range of diverse cultural programs. Among them, the 'European Capital of Culture(ECoC)' holds a prominent position as a highly esteemed and influential cultural initiative within the EU. While ‘diversity’ and ‘unity’ are emphasized in the European identity, European culture ultimately seeks cohesion and uniformity. In 2012, Slovenia's ambitious '2012 ECoC Maribor' project aimed to showcase European identity through cultural means. Maribor, at the center of the 'Eastern Cohesion,' united diverse cultural assets and created a unique cultural explosion. This strategic approach, promoting unity within diversity, presented a significant challenge and a new model for the European Capital of Culture program. The project instilled European cultural pride and citizenship consciousness in Slovenia, despite modest economic outcomes. The ‘2012 ECoC Maribor’ left a hopeful and optimistic social, political, and cultural impact.