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Minister of State for Culture Grütters (archive picture from October 12)
Photo:
Frank Hörmann / Sven Simon / imago images
In June, Monika Grütters, Minister of State for Culture, promised a billion euros for relief measures to the ailing cultural business.
But by the middle of October this "culture billion" had only distributed around 50 million euros.
A spokesman for Grütters confirmed this to SPIEGEL.
20,000 applications were approved during this time.
Grütters told SPIEGEL that all measures cannot be started at the same time.
They are tailor-made and usually have to be discussed in advance with the federal states and approved by the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Federal Audit Office.
In addition, you first have to create the logistical requirements.
"None of that is banal," says Grütters.
"With all due understanding that some things still don't go fast enough: We mustn't forget that this is about the responsible use of taxpayers' money."
In order to support artists and gallery owners, the purchase budget for the federal art collection was also increased, from normally 500,000 to three million euros.
About 150 of these works were to be acquired.
According to Grütters, the commission has only agreed on 50 purchases so far.
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