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2h ago

Federal Audit Says No Legal Basis for Kulturpass Funding as Minister Moves On

Funding is absent from the 2025 budget, prompting a pivot to other youth culture initiatives.

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„Ein ganz großer Fehler“ sei das mögliche Ende des Kulturpasses, laut Claudia Roth (Grüne)
Der Kulturpass der Ampel-Regierung wird wegen verfassungsrechtlicher Bedenken gestoppt.

Overview

  • The Bundesrechnungshof told the Bundestag budget committee that the federal government lacks constitutional financing competence for the Kulturpass and recommended ending federal support.
  • Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer said there is little chance to revive the program and announced plans to intensify other youth cultural projects.
  • The Kulturpass has no allocation in the 2025 federal budget, leaving the scheme effectively halted before the audit’s assessment.
  • Launched in June 2023 at €200 for the 2005 cohort and later €100, the program saw more than €100 million in expenditures, about 496,000 activations by December 2024, and roughly 2.9 million reservations worth around €56 million by June 2025.
  • The audit cited €30.2 million in IT costs, usage fell short of expectations, and parliamentary backing had waned, drawing criticism from Green lawmakers who faulted CDU/CSU and SPD for starving the program.