German Cultural Council demands: Cultural policy must once again play a central role

For the federal elections on February 23, 2025, the German Cultural Council has eleven demands for the parties running for election regarding cultural policy in the 21st legislative period . As the umbrella organization of federal cultural associations, the Cultural Council represents the various artistic disciplines and the diverse areas of cultural life and is the cultural policy voice for 285 associations from across the cultural and media sector.

With its eleven cultural policy demands for the federal elections, the German Cultural Council makes it clear: cultural policy is social policy .

With its demands, the German Cultural Council focuses on central and current issues of cultural policy:

01 Anchoring culture as a state objective in the Basic Law

The national objective of culture must finally be enshrined in the Basic Law in the next legislative period.

02 Improve labor and social law

Labor and social law needs to be improved, specifically by better integrating the self-employed into unemployment insurance, introducing mandatory old-age provision for the self-employed, keeping the artists' social security contribution stable, and enabling people with disabilities to have better access to the cultural labor market.

03 Making tax law more culturally friendly

Tax law must be made more culture-friendly, i.e., specifically, the VAT exemption for educational services must be legally enshrined in tax law, existing VAT reductions in the cultural sector must be standardized, the option for VAT exemption for cultural institutions must be implemented, the mitigation rule according to § 50a EStG of 250 euros (gross remuneration agreement) per person per performance must be at least doubled, and the non-profit law must be designed to safeguard democracy.

04 Strengthen copyright and secure remuneration

This includes safeguarding the proven system of device, storage media and operator remuneration for legally permitted reproductions and adapting it to digital forms of use.

05 Creating reliable framework conditions for artificial intelligence

In any case, it must be ensured that authors, performing artists and other rights holders receive appropriate remuneration for the use of their works and services for AI purposes, especially in the case of commercial uses.

This must also be advocated at the European and international level.

06 Thinking about culture and sustainability together

Culture and sustainability must be considered together, i.e., specifically, the impulses from the cultural and creative industries for sustainable management must be taken up and the resilience of cultural institutions must be improved, especially with regard to the protection of cultural heritage.

According to the UN 2030 Agenda, sustainable cultural policy also includes the realization of gender equality in art and culture.

07 Living cohesion in diversity

More attention needs to be paid to cultural integration, specifically to decisively oppose anti-Semitism, racism, and other forms of group-related hostility.

08 Securing cultural education

This UNESCO agreement must be implemented, specifically by submitting a state report on cultural education and establishing reliable structures to ensure qualified and continuous cultural education in daycare centers, schools, and funding programs for cultural education.

09 Securing cultural funding

Cultural funding must be secured, which specifically means strengthening structures and consistently offsetting cost increases.

10. Do not co-opt foreign cultural and educational policy

Foreign cultural and educational policy must not be co-opted; that is to say, specifically, more space should be given to the independence of foreign cultural and educational policy, including its actors, and its adequate financing should be ensured.

11 Strengthen federal cultural policy institutionally

In the next legislative period, the next step must be taken and the office of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media must be upgraded to a Federal Ministry.

The managing director of the German Cultural Council, Olaf Zimmermann, said verbatim:

Culture and cultural policy must play a central role in the upcoming legislative period. At a time when societal divisions are increasing and anti-democratic forces are gaining influence, art and culture can provide a counterweight, open up spaces for discourse, and broaden the horizons of one's own convictions. For this to succeed, culture needs a supportive environment. We expect not just fine words from the future federal government, but concrete action

Joachim Rodriguez y Romero

Owner and Managing Director of Kunstplaza . Publicist, editor, and passionate blogger in the fields of art, design, and creativity since 2011. Graduated with a degree in web design from university (2008). Further developed creative techniques through courses in freehand drawing, expressive painting, and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market gained through years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with key players and institutions in the arts and culture sector.

www.kunstplaza.de