Claudia Roth wants to help cultural institutions with a "substantial sum".

In view of the exorbitant rise in energy costs, Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth (Greens) has promised aid from the federal government to cultural institutions. The federal government wants to "provide a kind of 'culture fund energy'," said Roth of the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung".

The help should take effect from January 1st, "retrospectively from October," said Roth. She promised "a substantial sum", but "in return she also expects that the cultural institutions act in solidarity and do everything they can to save energy".

"For example, we have set a target of 20 percent energy savings for the institutions funded by the federal government," Roth explained. "And many are already doing that now."

According to the Minister of State, money from the special fund for cultural events that has not yet been used should be reallocated to finance the Energy Culture Fund. This is a sum of “at least one billion euros,” Roth told the “NOZ”.

According to the report, the Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry (BDKV) and the Chairman of the German Cultural Council, Olaf Zimmermann, even speak of 1.8 billion euros. "We are currently working with the Federal Minister of Finance to determine how much money is actually still there," said Roth.

However, she also sees the federal states as having a duty to deal with the energy crisis in cultural institutions. At the same time, Roth wants to avoid each federal state creating its own set of rules, as was the case during the Corona crisis.

Roth absolutely wants to prevent cultural institutions from having to close. "We cannot afford it, and we do not want to afford it, for cultural institutions to be closed, as was the case in the first two years of the pandemic, because then our democracy will no longer have a voice," said Roth.

She wanted "museums, theaters and cinemas to be spaces that enable people to educate, communicate and socialize".

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