The tasks of the Federal Government in the field of cultural policy are concentrated in the following areas: representation of the state as a whole, establishing a regulatory framework for the development of art and culture, promoting cultural institutions and projects relevant to the state as a whole, preserving and protecting cultural heritage, foreign cultural policy, fostering historical awareness and promoting Berlin as a capital city.
In 1998, the Federal Government created, for the first time, a Federal Government Commissioner for Cultural Affairs and the Media (today: Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media / die Beauftragte für Kultur und Medien); thus creating a central contact point for cultural affairs at the federal level. The office was held or has been held since its establishment by: Michael Naumann (SPD) from 1998 to 2001, Julian Nida Rümelin (SPD) from 2001 to 2002, Christina Weiss (no party affiliation) from 2002 to 2005, Bernd Neumann (CDU) from 2005 to 2013, Monika Grütters (CDU) from 2013 to 2021 and currently in the 20th legislative period since autumn 2021 Claudia Roth (Bündnis90/Die Grünen).
Responsibilities for international cultural policy lie with the Federal Foreign Office. In 2018, the office of Minister of State for International Cultural Policy was introduced there; the first incumbent was Michelle Müntefering (SPD); since autumn 2021, Katja Keul has been Minister of State for International Cultural Policy.
In the 20th legislative period, another Minister of State in the Federal Chancellery will assume responsibilities with interfaces to cultural policy: Reem Alabali-Radovan as Minister of State for Migration, Refugees and Integration. The Federal Ministry of Research and Education is responsible for cultural education.
Since 1998, the German Bundestag (Parliament) subsequently set up a Committee on Culture and the Media. It acts as a supervisory body for the work of the Federal Government Commissioner for Cultural and Me-dia Affairs (BKM) and for the department responsible for foreign cultural policy at the German Federal Office (Auswärtiges Amt). Furthermore, one of the most important tasks of the Culture Committee is to advise on and examine legislative initiatives and amendments with regard to their cultural compatibility (e.g. tax law, non-profit law) and to stimulate debates on cultural policy. The most noble right of the parliament is the budget right. In this respect, the Culture Committee has a central steering and decision-making function in the adoption of the culture budget, in order to fulfil its responsibility towards the electorate and for the interests of art and culture. The chairpersons of the Committee for Culture and Media were or are: Elke Leonhard (SPD) from 1998 to 2000, Monika Griefahn (SPD) from 2000 to 2005, Hans Joachim Otto (FDP) from 2005 to 2009, Monika Grütters (CDU) from 2009 to 2013, Siegmund Ehrmann (SPD) from 2014 to 2017 and Katrin Budde (SPD) since 2017 (19th and again 20th legislative period).
The German Bundestag not only has its Committee on Culture and the Media as an instrument for safeguarding the interests of the arts and culture. Cultural issues are also dealt with in subcommittees (e.g. in the subcommittee “Foreign Cultural and Educational Policy”).
In addition, there is the establishment of the Enquete Commission, which can be appointed for a limited period of time to discuss specific political issues in cooperation with parliamentarians and experts. In autumn 2003, for example, the Enquete Commission “Culture in Germany” was set up to discuss fundamental questions of cultural policy and promotion. The 1200-page final report, which contained 459 recommendations for action for policy-makers and legislators at the federal and state levels, was presented on 13 November 2007 (https://dserver.bundestag.de/btd/16/070/1607000.pdf). To this day, it is regarded as a central document in cultural policy. Other commissions of enquiry with topics relevant to culture included “Internet and Digital Society” and “Growth, Prosperity and Quality of Life” (both 2010 to 2013).
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