As part of the international ECoC Echo project, which brings together nine former, current and future European Capitals of Culture, including Novi Sad, a stakeholder meeting was held. The meeting, hosted at the Cultural Centre of Novi Sad, was attended by representatives of the City Administration for Culture (Head of Department Aleksandar Belić and Deputy Head Mira Knežević), as well as representatives of the Novi Sad Tourist Organisation, the Faculty of Sciences, and the Cultural Centre of Novi Sad.

The meeting introduced the ECoC Echo project, outlining its objectives, expected results and the methods planned to achieve them, alongside experiences from Leeuwarden—one of the partner cities—where a seminar was held in April this year. The seminar focused on the long-term impact of the European Capital of Culture title and the ways in which programmes such as Arcadia continue to support the development of local communities and cultural heritage.

Following the presentation, discussions centred on the implementation of the project in Novi Sad and how stakeholders can contribute, as well as on the upcoming seminar to be held in Novi Sad in May, which is expected to gather representatives from all partner cities.

In addition to Novi Sad, the ECoC Echo project includes: Leeuwarden 2018 (Netherlands), Veszprém 2023 (Hungary), Tartu 2024 (Estonia), Chemnitz 2025 (Germany), Oulu 2026 (Finland), Liepāja 2027 (Latvia), Évora 2027 (Portugal) and Bourges 2028 (France).

The ECoC Echo project is focused on identifying solutions that help preserve and strengthen the results achieved during the title year, while fostering the growth of the cultural sector, regional development and international cooperation. The project is co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg Europe programme, which supports interregional cooperation and helps public institutions across Europe to develop better policies.