At the fountain on Karlsplatz Stachus in Munich. Image – Getty: Dirk von Mallinckrodt
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
The Börsenverein Criticizes the Demise of the Kulturpass
Even amid the two-month run-up to what looks to be a very strong Frankfurter Buchmesse (October 15 to 19), there’s some sobering publishing news from Germany.
News reports are sounding alarms for the German market’s “Kulturpass.” Like several other markets’ culture-voucher programs, Germany’s model provides a grant to citizens turning 18, money to be spent on approved cultural events and products. These programs in various markets have been reported to be quite good for their respective book publishing industries in France and Italy, because books seem to be among the most popular selections for use of the vouchers, although Italy’s 18App has undergone a reconfiguration of its eligibility criteria and France’s Pass Culture has been controversial relative to budget cuts.
But Germany’s edition of the culture voucher—which was already under pressure financially—now has been deemed to be unconstitutional.
Wolfram Weimer
Wolfram Weimer, the Merz coalition government’s new federal minister of culture, has said that the previous government had already zeroed-out a budget for the Kulturpass and—as reported in WestDeutsche Zeitung—on Friday (August 22), Weimer cited “an assessment by the Federal Audit Office that the culture pass introduced by the ‘Ampel’ coalition government is unconstitutional.”
At the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, Germany’s publishers and booksellers association, the chair, Karin Schmidt-Friderichs, has released a statement to various news media, saying, “Abolishing the Kulturpass would be a major mistake and a sad signal for culture and education in Germany.
“There are no compelling constitutional grounds for its abolition.
Karin Schmidt-Friderichs
“The Kulturpass has proven to be a successful tool for introducing young people to culture in a low-threshold manner. It’s a disgrace for our society if effective educational and cultural measures are discontinued in the face of an increasingly poor educational situation.”
That “increasingly poor educational situation” Schmidt-Friderichs references, is in part related to what the Börsenverein referred to in July as “the precarious state of literacy.” Not unlike recent commentary from Portugal and Denmark, the German market is describing a condition in which “one in four children is left out because they lack sufficient reading skills.”
The culture minister Weimer has announced, “From now on, we will intensify other projects to promote culture for young people,” in light of a recommendation from the Federal Audit Office that no further spending should be part of the federal budget for the Kulturpass.
A report in ZDFheute indicates that “At the end of last year, the pass had around 450,000 active users. Bookstores generated the most revenue from the Culture Pass, followed by concerts and cinemas.”
Several reports indicate that since its inception, the Kulturpass’ costs had reached more than €100 million (US$117.1 million). A spokesperson with Germany’s ministry of education has said that utilization of the Kulturpass had fallen short of expectations, and the program’s tech costs had risen to more than €30 million (US$35.1 million).
The Kulturpass’ Short Life
The German Kulturpass was implemented in mid-June 2023. It initially provided €200 (US$234) to a German turning 18. Within a bit over a year, it was reported that young Germans had spent more than €3.2 million (US$3.74 million), revenue generated for cultural products, events, and services. The offices of the former federal cultural minister Claudia Roth confirmed to us that unit sales of books were resoundingly in the lead over other offerings in these young adults’ expenditures.
The news of the 50-percent funding cut for the program’s second year was called “a bitter blow” by Peter Kraus vom Cleff, the Börsenverein’s manager and CEO.
In a broadcast made today (August 23) by Deutschlandfunk, it has been reported, “With the Culture Pass for 18-year-olds, the then federal government and former minister of state for culture, Claudia Roth (Green Party), aimed to revitalize the cultural sector after the coronavirus pandemic. €100 million was made available. . . .
“This year, funding is lacking because the federal budget has not yet been passed.”
More from Publishing Perspectives on culture vouchers and their development is here, more on the German book industry and market is here, and more on the work of Germany’s ministry of culture is here.
Wherever our international readers are in the world, they use our free daily email to be sure they don’t miss a story. Sign up now.