On 17 June 2016, the European Commission published the Proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Decision No 445/2014/EU establishing a Union action for the European Capitals of Culture for the years 2020 to 2033, COM(2016) 400 final - 2016/0186 (COD). The objective is to modify Decision No 445/2014/EU so as to make it possible for cities from EFTA/EEA countries, which participate in the Creative Europe Programme or in the subsequent Union programmes supporting culture, to apply for the ECOC title. This has been proposed by the CoR in its Opinion (CoR Amendment 1 and 5): to open up the ECOC initiative to other European countries (EFTA and European Neighbourhood Policy countries). On 22 November 2016, the Council reached political agreement on a proposal amending the decision establishing a Union action for the European Capitals of Culture for the years 2020 to 2033. The CoR Opinion is mentioned in the Decision No 445/2014/EU (mandatory consultation), together with the previous Opinion on the "Future of the European Capital of Culture" CdR 191/2011. Core elements from CoR former opinions and the own-initiative opinion on the future of ECoC have been reflected: the need to frame the event within a multi-annual context (Article 5: the criteria for the assessment of the applications are divided into six categories and include ‘contribution to the long term strategy’); the importance of increasing the involvement of surrounding areas or the wider region (CoR proposed Amendment 2 reflected in Article 3 and 4: The competition for the European Capital of Culture title shall only be open to cities, which may involve their surrounding areas); the reintroducing of the possibility for cities in non-Member States to apply for the title (Article 3: the competition is open, in the relevant years, to one city from candidate and potential candidate countries or to one city from a country that accedes to the Union). The Opinion was partially successful in adding further elements to the draft Decision (in relation to concrete amendments as proposed): CoR Amendment 3 asking that access by people with disabilities and older people should not be limited from the outset was reflected in Article 5(5) CoR Amendment 4 was partially taken up, Article 6 stating that, for the selection and monitoring of the city from a Member State, the Member State concerned shall be entitled to appoint up to two experts in accordance with its own procedures and in consultation with the Commission (the ‘national experts’). But the Commission will still propose a pool of potential European experts based on a call for expressions of interest. but the initiative is not to be open to European Neighbourhood Policy countries and EFTA countries (CoR Amendment 1 and 5); CoR Amendment 6 asked that the formal designation of the ECoC is done by the Council and not by the Commission as proposed in the draft Decision. The final compromise (accepted by COREPER I) foresees that the selected cities is designated directly by the member state concerned (it remains to be confirmed by the final Decision still to be adopted poss. in March). The Committee of the Regions will continue to select one expert (n.n. in the panel of independent experts) from the pool and appoint that expert in accordance with its procedures.