Malaga is left without the 2027 Expo [1650]
Malaga has been left without its International Exposition 2027. The Andalusian city was one of the two finalists in the vote held this Wednesday at the headquarters of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) in Paris, but in the end most of the votes of the 179 member countries of the international organization have been to Belgrade (Serbia). The candidacy, presented by the mayor of the city, Francisco de la Torre, in 2019, has focused a large part of the municipal efforts since then and has received the support of the Junta de Andalucía and the central government. It was the icing on the cake dreamed of by the councilor for his city project, but as has already happened in recent years with the 2024 Copa América de Vela and the awards for European Capital of Innovation, in the end the capital of Malaga has not been chosen. "Now we have a plan B," De la Torre said minutes after learning of the assembly's decision.The urban age: towards a sustainable city was the motto under which Malaga presented its candidacy, which was competing against those of Bloomington (United States), Phuket (Thailand), Belgrade (Serbia) and San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina). The international exhibition was presented in May 2019 during the municipal election campaign. The idea started after analyzing the data on the movement from rural to urban areas in a large part of the planet, which "generates a sustainability problem", as De la Torre explained to EL PAÍS. Two years later he received the support of the Junta de Andalucía and the central government, as Pedro Sánchez communicated by letter to the Malaga councilor. This has been one of the rarities of the initiative, the common impulse on the part of all the institutions, one of the aspects that have been highlighted during the presentation this morning in Paris, which has also been followed from some tents set up by the municipality in the historic center, next to the Roman theater.
Last year the city was on the brink of celebrating the 2024 Sailing America Cup —which Barcelona will finally host— and, although it was a finalist in the European Capital of Innovation awards, the award finally went to Dortmund ((Germany)). They are the last two troubles for a capital that wants to aspire to everything and that resists major international events. Now he will have to see how Serbia —by just 11 votes difference, 81 to 70— and with the motto Let's play for humanity: sport and music for all will organize the 2027 International Exhibition with which Malaga aspired to round off its current positive dynamics as tourist, cultural and technological city.
Font: El Pais