"We would like to thank all the cities who expressed interest in the candidacy over the year," Heili Jõe, director of the Foreign Relations Department of the Ministry of Culture, said in a press release. "The international committee will be faced with a thorough analysis and discussion."

The cities to be allowed to compete in the final round will be determined at the end of the month.

The choices will be made by an independent international committee comprised of 12 members. The committee will be in Tallinn on 22-23 October, when the cities allowed to the final round will be disclosed at a press conference. The European Capital of Culture to be chosen from Estonia will be determined by the end of 2019.

Gaining the status of European Capital of Culture will mean additional funding for the chosen city which can be used for realising its vision. The Estonian state will also support the programme of the European Capital of Culture with local government funding and other financial sources in the amount of up to €10 million, and the European Commission will award the European Capital of Culture the Melina Mercouri Prize, the size of which is €1.5 million.

Altogether three cities will bear the title of European Capital of Culture in 2024: one Estonian city, one Austrian city, and one city from the European Free Trade Association states of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, EU candidate countries Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey, or a city of possible candidate states Bosnia and Kosovo.

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