We instinctively maintain cross-border contacts in the arts and culture. Nowhere is the influence of Europe on culture as tangible as in Maastricht. It’s a city in which people grow up with music – just look at how many musicians come from our province. Maastricht is the most suitable candidate for European Capital of Culture 2018 and is internationally renowned.
André Rieu
Maastricht & Euregio 2018 is a tremendous opportunity to draw the attention of an international audience to this region's diversity. In the short term, that will benefit trade and tourism, and in the long term it will improve the region's image - something that's good for the economy as a whole.
Fritz Rötting, director, IHK Aachen
Producing crystals is like playing with light. In this project, we wish to launch a specific product line in which we and artists in the Euregio create objects focusing on the theme of Maastricht & Euregio 2018 that convert the unique refractive index of crystal into a series of new creations of pure beauty.
Eric Christiaens, general manager of Val Saint-Lambert, crystal manufacturer
We will benefit from having our company in a business location more specifically patterned on a big-city climate, one that has a sound arts and culture infrastructure, in a setting that Dutch and foreign knowledge workers find attractive as a place to live and work. Maastricht European Capital of Culture is the necessary catalyst linking the arts and culture and the economy.
Atzo Nicolaï, president of DSM Netherlands
YouTube is constantly seeking content partners to create added value for our users. Once the candidacy has been announced, Maastricht and YouTube will together explore how Maastricht & Euregio 2018 can make its content available by catch-up or live-streaming.
Pascal Van Laere, You Tube project manager