Minister of Culture Wolfram Weimer used the debate about his first budget draft to distribute against the AfD. He referred to his heart’s concern of Jewish life in Germany, on “gloss and gloria” of the Berlin museums and on his plans for the German wave as “huge voice of freedom in the world”. In his speech in his speech in the Bundestag, his initiative for the taxation for the taxation of great American digital companies did not occur.
At the end of May, Weimer announced him as a concrete legislative proposal. As in Austria, the billions of US internet giants in Germany should be occupied with a “platform soli”, with a tax rate of 10 percent. But apparently there are concerns in the black and red coalition. The taxation of the US corporations could arouse President Donald Trump’s anger in the customs dispute with the USA – for this reason, Canada had to row back in a digital tax project.
“Less trade barriers”
Minister of Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche (CDU) Weimer’s plans in the editorial network Germany now issued a cancellation: “We should not talk about more, but about less trade barriers. And at the same time we have to improve competitive conditions for German and European digital companies so that they have a chance in international competition.”
When asked about the Greens in the Bundestag, Weimer gave himself Schmallippig. He is pleased that he agreed with the Greens, he said. A process was opened from which he hoped that the Greens continued to support him. He did not become more specific, he did not go into the concerns in the coalition.
Art scene remains skeptical
Weimer, long journalist and media entrepreneur, was unexpectedly appointed to the office of representative for culture and media at the beginning of May. Due to the past very conservative positions and publications, distrust of the art scene struck him – a petition against his calling has collected more than 72,000 signatures to date.
The author of the petition, Paul Maximilian Pira, is still not convinced of Weimer. This speaks of strengthening culture with more money and investments, but that remains opaque and not very tangible. “At the moment, Wolfram Weimer seems to be missing the courage to become concrete,” Pira wrote to the dpa on request. “I would say that the fears calmed down and developed trust – (that), I would say.”
The German Bauhaus as a “world brand”
Specifically and quite sharp, Weimer became a “world brand” in its delimitation against the attitude of the AfD to the Bauhaus-from Weimer’s point of view, from the perspective of the Saxony-Anhalt AfD parliamentary group a “wrong way of modernity”. Weimer said right -wing extremist attacks on the Bauhaus made “directly to the persecution of the Bauhaus carriers through the NSDAP”. His house will maintain this cultural heritage in a special way.
His further priorities in the household: memorial sites and souvenirs, investments in cultural buildings, the promotion of the nationally significant museums. According to the draft of the Federal Ministry of Finance in 2025, the budget of the Federal Commissioner for Culture and Media is to include around 2.034 billion euros. Around 405.5 million euros alone are planned for grants to the German wave abroad – the largest post in Weimer’s budget.
“Freedom rooms ever closer”
“Deutsche Welle has the duty and with the considerable means that we open with this household, now also the chance of becoming the huge voice of freedom in the world, in a world in which the freedom spaces unfortunately become closer,” said Weimer.
He promised to intensify media policy in a special way because democracy and media diversity were threatened. Film funding will be further developed, “so that ‘made in Germany’ is again a seal of approval of film production”. Even in the development, use and regulation of artificial intelligence, Europe should not make itself small before the competition from China and the USA, said Weimer.
“The glorious triumphant”
According to the draft, a total of 281 million euros should flow from Weimer’s budget for grants and construction work to the Prussian cultural property foundation, which is responsible for museums in Berlin. “With the Louvre and the British Museum, the Prussian Culture Foundation forms the glorious triumvirate of European cultural museums,” said Weimer. “We strengthen it with our increased means so that gloss and Gloria shine – but also the torches of the Enlightenment, the openness to the world, German passion and can point in it and show us wonderful ways.”
Praise from the Greens, criticism from the AfD
Weimer received gentle praise from the Greens because he continued planning from predecessor Claudia Roth (Greens). With the same reasoning criticism and sharp rejection for increasing the funds for the German wave, the AfD came by 15 million euros. The German Culture Council praised Weimer’s plan to renovate cultural buildings. In the case of plans for the platform soli, on the other hand, it will be important to act with a joint attitude of the federal government, said Managing Director Olaf Zimmermann.
