Countries against “paternalistic distribution” of cultural money

Created: 12/24/2021, 11:22 AM

Klaus Lederer (Die Linke), Berlin Senator for Culture, speaks.

© Fabian Sommer / dpa / archive image

The cultural scene is notoriously short of funds, Corona has made that even worse.

A lot of federal money seems to be welcome.

But the countries responsible for culture are skeptical.

Berlin - Even in times of a strongly weakened cultural scene due to the corona, the responsible federal states underline their responsibility and state competence in cultural policy.

"The question is how the funding activities of the federal government can function in an area in which it has no constitutional competence, with state sovereignty and cultural federalism," said the chairman of the Conference of Culture Ministers, Berlin's Senator for Culture, Klaus Lederer, of the German Press Agency in Berlin.

The left-wing politician hands over the office to the North Rhine-Westphalian Minister of Culture Isabel Pfeiffer-Poensgen (non-party) after twelve months at the end of the year.

“The federal government has made considerable additional funds available in recent years, which can be seen as positive for the cultural sector and its growing importance,” said Lederer.

"However, there is an increasing tendency to intervene in wide areas of country competence by only granting temporary funding, co-financing is expected from the countries, which shortens the scope for setting their own priorities in the countries."

After a certain period of time, the funding will then be discontinued.

“And the countries must see how they deal with the results of these new structures that have been promoted,” said Lederer.

"It is unfortunate if the federal states were not involved at all beforehand when agreeing on common funding priorities."

The chairman of the Conference of Ministers of Culture warned: "We have to be careful that this does not turn into a paternalistic distribution mechanism without permanent structural improvements in the cultural scene being associated with it." Countries should be. "But then with all the consequences, that is, with the responsibility of the federal government to permanently secure projects that have already started," he said.

Lederer praised the work of the young national committee. "During the three years of the conference of ministers of culture, the people responsible for the cultural department managed to develop a different form of cooperation, a continuous way of working on their own topics." In times of the Corona, the committee proved to be extremely helpful and sensible. "In a crisis situation, a great common interest is needed in order to jointly initiate ideas for the cultural scene."

The Senator for Culture sees successes in the joint country work.

"We developed pressure from a common stance, which, for example, has led to the fact that, after the culture blindness of the Corona emergency brake, there is now a sensitivity and current changes are made in a special way about the constitutional scope of artistic freedom," said Lederer.

“That is a trusting, extremely good cooperation and a great cooperation across all colors, parties and countries.” For example, key points for loosening and opening up in the cultural sector have been agreed with each other, even if these are often quickly overtaken by developments.

"Aid in the cultural sector was also closely monitored by the Conference of Ministers of Culture."

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For the coming period, Lederer sees a need for further cooperation between the federal states and the federal government.

“Given the social situation of artists, we also have expectations of the new federal government when it comes to reducing precarious work in the cultural sector,” he said.

Issues such as solidarity with people who are attacked because they exercise their artistic freedom have become increasingly important.

"It is about political responsibility for the defense of artistic freedom in a democracy."

The Conference of Ministers of Culture has been dealing with matters of cultural policy of supraregional importance since the beginning of 2019.

The aim is for the states to form opinions and wills together and to represent common concerns to the federal government.

The committee is located under the umbrella of the Conference of Ministers of Education, but advises and decides independently.

Regular meetings are twice a year in spring and autumn.

dpa