04/01/2016 (Agence Europe) - Two new European capitals of culture. Wroclaw (Poland) and San Sebastian (Spain) are the European Capitals of Culture in 2016. This prize was launched in 1985 and awarded to cities on the basis of a cultural programme that must have a strong European dimension, foster the participation and active involvement of the city's inhabitants and contribute to the long-term development of the city. It is also an excellent opportunity for the cities to change their image, put themselves on the world map, attract more tourists and rethink their own development through culture. Following Wroclaw and San Sebastian in 2016, the future European Capitals of Culture will be Aarhus (Denmark) and Pafos (Cyprus) in 2017, Valletta (Malta) and Leeuwarden (Netherlands) in 2018 and Plovdiv (Bulgaria) and Matera (Italy) in 2019. (SPJ)