Tweet30-10-2009 om 18:10 by Maastricht Region Branding Foundation

The former mayor of Aachen, Dr Jürgen Linden, is to be the chairman of the Supervisory Board for the candidacy of Maastricht as Europe’s capital of Culture in 2018. Dr Linden was asked because of his enormous management experience, cultural involvement, knowledge of the Euroregion and international management-network. When the Maastricht City Council and the partners agree in December, the organization for Maastricht’s candidacy will become part of a separate foundation set up by 11 Euroregional partners. The foundation will have a supervisory board headed by an independent chairman, and Dr Jürgen Linden has already agreed to the Maastricht proposal to take over the chairmanship.

Jean Jacobs, the Maastricht’s council member, responsible for cultural affairs, regards the choice of Jürgen Linden, as an almost self-evident one. He is a man of enormous international authority, a European through and through, with great passion for cooperation within Meuse-Rhine – He is also an honorary citizen of both Liège and Aachen. He is also a great supporter of cultural development; and, in his more than 20 years as mayor of Aachen, made his name in the areas of the economy, employment, citizen participation and international cooperation. This makes him eminently suited for this new role. As chairman of the supervisory council, Jürgen Linden will have an important voice in the preparation of the candidacy that, in 2012, leads to the submission of a bid book to the European Commission.

The Netherlands and Malta are going to have their turn at becoming the cultural capital in 2018. The city of Maastricht decided on this in 2008, not only Maastricht, but within the Euroregion, the cities of Heerlen, Aachen, Liège, Hasselt and Sittard-Geleen, the provinces of Belgian Limburg and Liège, the Aachen region, and Belgium’s German-speaking community support them.

The candidacy will be official when the bid book is presented in 2012, and after that, in 2014, the European Commission will make the decision.

Jürgen Linden was born on January 13, 1947, in Aachen as the son of a baker. He is married and has three children. He is a lawyer by profession; and, since 1977, has been active in municipal politics as a member of the city council and mayor. On October 21 he stepped down as mayor. Outside of Aachen he is well known because of his contribution to Aachen’s Charlemagne Prize, which has been very successful internationally. The prize was awarded to Angela Merkel in 2008, Pope John Paul in 2004, ex-President Bill Clinton in 2000, Wim Duisenberg (for the introduction of the Euro) in 2002, and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in 1996. Jürgen Linden speaks a number of languages fluently, including Dutch and French.

Source: Meuse-Rhine Journal

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