Compensation after Corona – The federal government wants 987 million francs for cultural funding by 2028 – News

  • The Federal Council is requesting funding of 987 million francs from Parliament to promote culture between 2025 and 2028.
  • Overall, the cultural sector should become more sustainable, digital and socially just and cultural diversity should be strengthened.
  • For implementation, the federal government is earmarking 14 million francs less than in the draft consultation.

The financial framework takes into account the recently decided cuts to prevent further structural deficits in the federal government’s regular budget, the Federal Council wrote about the decision. In 2023, the federal government’s financing deficit was higher than permitted by the economy for the second time in a row.

The distribution of funds in the cultural sector will continue to be the responsibility of the Federal Office of Culture (BAK), Pro Helvetia and the Swiss National Museum.

Legend:

A visitor lingers in front of a painting by Claude Monet in the exhibition of Emil Bührle’s collection at the Kunsthaus Zurich.

(KEYSTONE/Ennio Leanza

The cultural message was received positively in the consultation. For the first time, cantons, cities, municipalities and forty cultural associations from all sectors were included in the design of the message, said Federal Councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider at the media conference in Bern.

“If we want to be efficient, we have to involve the various actors,” said the Culture Minister. The cultural sector is essential for initiating critical debates and thus direct democracy in Switzerland.

Lower income, worse social security

The federal government wants to realign its cultural funding, particularly given the precarious social security of cultural workers during the Covid crisis: adequate compensation for cultural workers should be guaranteed and their working conditions improved.

It has been proven that, compared to other industries and sectors, cultural workers have, on the one hand, a lower income and, on the other hand, a worse social security situation, said BAK director Carine Bachmann. Fixing this is a “complex phenomenon that will take many years.” All actors must therefore make their contribution – including the cantons, for example.

Switzerland, with its four national languages, needs sustainable cultural exchange.

The Federal Council’s message also states that the challenges for culture are increasingly of national and increasingly international importance and affect all levels of government. The need for collaboration is growing – resulting in an increased need for more cooperation and coordination.

Increase support for lay culture

The Federal Council also wants to promote equal opportunities within the industry. The Federal Council message states that the support would be awarded taking into account the entire value creation process.

The funds will also be used to support the digital transformation in culture and to take new digital and hybrid formats of production, distribution and communication into account. This particularly affects amateur culture, as around two thirds of the Swiss population is active in a club, says Baume-Schneider. These associations should be supported so that the associations can actively maintain exchanges with their members.

Expand research on looted property and the colonial past


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According to the federal government’s message, broad access to culture, the preservation and dissemination of cultural heritage as well as a transparent processing of historically contaminated cultural heritage should also be promoted. The latter is “more important than ever these days,” said Baume-Schneider.

The Federal Councilor particularly referred to cultural assets with a colonial past and looted property from the National Socialist era. An independent commission should begin its work on this matter soon, she announced.

With the cultural message, the Federal Council is laying the legal basis for a platform for provenance research on cultural assets in Switzerland, as Parliament had requested.

Sustainability in the cultural sector should also be promoted. “Switzerland, with its four national languages, needs a sustainable cultural exchange,” said Baume-Schneider. This cultural diversity must be maintained. Multilingualism is a cultural asset in itself.

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