Whether we turn to its millenia-long history or to the many contemporary artists who open new avenues in all sorts of fields, whether we think of its spearhead cultural institutions or of its densely-woven network of associations, through its material and immaterial heritage and through its living popular culture, Liège emerges as the city that best represents culture in the French-speaking part of Belgium.
Moreover, for centuries now, its very location has meant that Liège has served as a bridge between the Latin and Germanic worlds. As it now renews its connections with Maastricht, Aachen or Hasselt, Liège is turning again into a locus of European dialogue. Cologne, Charleroi, Luxembourg, or Brussels are at about the same distance, and thanks to high-speed trains Liège now has a central position in Europe.
As the Walloon Region is invited to submit an application for a city to become European capital of culture we claim that there are reasons galore for Liège to be selected. If Wallonia wants to forge ahead it must stop a policy of dispersal and display what it can best do to the world at large. Its economic development is also at stake: as can be seen in many cases, becoming a European capital of culture can powerfully boost the economy of a region.
Liège does need a federating project around which an urban community can develop and its huge potential can find concrete expression. With an eye on 2015 and the necessary development of coordinated policies that is needed by then, Liège would be facing a challenge that matches what is at stake, no less than its future.
We the undersigned therefore demand that Liège decision-makers get together as soon as possible to work on applying for our city to possess to the title of European capital of culture in 2015.
