The Budget Committee of the Bundestag approved the draft for the 2027 federal budget and significantly increased the budget for culture and the media. According to the federal government, around €2.58 billion is now earmarked, more than €220 million above the government’s draft. The budget still requires approval by the Bundestag as a whole.
One of the main areas of change is investment in cultural institutions. For the budget heading that funds the programme KulturInvest the committee has earmarked €280.7 million. That is €150 million more than in the government’s draft. A further €330 million in commitment appropriations has been included for future budget years. These allow financial commitments to be made now for the future; they are not additional expenditure for 2027.
A further €50 million is earmarked for the preservation and restoration of nationally significant monuments and related cultural investment. No amount had been allocated for this in the government’s draft. However, the money is initially blocked: the Budget Committee must release it before it can be spent. The increased allocation therefore does not yet mean that individual projects will receive funds immediately.
More funding is also to be made available for music, literature, dance and theatre. According to the Bundestag, the relevant allocation has increased by €7.7 million compared with the government’s draft, to €51.5 million. The Festival Funding Fund and the Amateur Music Fund are each to receive €4 million. A total of €64.2 million is earmarked for culturally significant projects at national and international level; €35 million of this will go to the Federal Cultural Foundation.
Not all areas have benefited from the changes. The allocation for incentives for film and series production has been reduced by €13.3 million compared with the government’s draft, to €200.7 million. The Bundestag attributes most of this cut to the specific allocation of savings already planned for efficiency measures.
Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer welcomed the funding provided for. It particularly highlighted the funding for cultural buildings and monuments. The German Cultural Council referred in its weekly report of 13 November to the individual changes and the cut to production incentives.
The cultural budget is part of the budget of the Federal Chancellery. The Länder and local authorities also fund cultural activities, so the committee’s decision does not cover all public spending on culture in Germany. Rather, it sets out the amounts earmarked at federal level in the draft budget.
The committee approved the federal budget for 2027 as a whole with the votes of the governing coalition parties CDU, CSU and SPD, against the opposition. The draft provides for expenditure of €560.92 billion. The Bundestag’s final vote is scheduled for the budget week from 24 to 27 November 2026. The parliamentary process remains open until then.
Editor: Celestina Fuentes (Article created with AI assistance).