[문화정책/이슈] 제1당된 기민/기사연의 문화정책, 인공지능 기업 부담 줄이고 반유대주의 철폐
[Date Registered] 2025-02-27 [Views] 1652
The German federal election concluded on February 23, 2025. The results showed the center-conservative Christian Democratic Union / Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) receiving 28.52% of the votes and securing 208 seats, the party assessed as far-right, Alternative for Germany (AfD), receiving 20.8% and 152 seats, the progressive Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) receiving 16.41% and 120 seats, The Greens (Die Grünen) receiving 11.61% and 85 seats, and The Left (Die Linke) receiving 8.77% and 64 seats. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht party (BSW) failed to enter the Bundestag.
The German Cultural Council (Deutscher Kulturrat) is an umbrella organization of cultural associations in Germany. It cooperates with the federal government, state governments, and EU institutions to advise on the establishment and implementation of cultural policy. Following the general election, the organization sent an official letter to the parties asking for their positions on cultural policy. The CDU/CSU, SPD, The Greens, FDP, and The Left responded, while the AfD and the BSW did not state their positions. We have decided to analyze the cultural policy positions of each party in the order of their share of the vote.
< Official Logo of the CDU/CSU Alliance - Source: CDU/CSU Alliance Facebook account (@cducsubundestagsfraktion) >
The CDU/CSU Alliance is the parliamentary group of the two parties, the CDU and the CSU. CDU stands for Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands (Christian Democratic Union of Germany), and CSU stands for Christlich-Soziale Union in Bayern (Christian Social Union in Bavaria). The CDU is well-known as the party of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who governed for 16 years. From a cultural policy perspective, they emphasize the importance of digitalization within Germany and stress the economic dimension.
The CDU/CSU responded that artificial intelligence offers new opportunities. They stated that copyright-related matters are already legally regulated, and institutional mechanisms are already in place to maintain a balance between developers and content creators even in the development of AI. They also mentioned that it is important for technological development to remain human-centered, and regulatory frameworks like the AI Act were introduced to uphold this value. Their mention of carefully evaluating these regulations suggests they might seek amendments to prevent the regulations from hindering corporate activities, given the existing stance of the CDU/CSU.
The European Union implemented the AI Act starting last August. Aimed at promoting responsible AI development and usage within the EU, this law assesses and regulates AI technology by dividing the risk into four levels. The European Commission also held a public consultation for establishing a Code of Conduct for General-Purpose Artificial Intelligence (GPAI). This code centrally addresses areas like transparency, copyright regulations, and risk management, and is expected to be finalized by April of this year.
The issue of racism and anti-Semitism was also addressed. The CDU/CSU declared that they demand clarity that anti-Semitic views have no place in political parties, academia, media, the arts, and culture sectors. They also mentioned that they would continuously develop cultural richness and promote cultural integration. German society maintains vigilance against anti-Semitism for historical reasons. However, the emphasis solely on anti-Semitism without addressing the specific situation in the Gaza Strip at this point in time is a point of concern.
The CDU/CSU responded that a national report on cultural education in Germany will continue to be drafted, and they will focus on strengthening networks between cultural and educational institutions and the continuous development of cultural education projects for children and youth. When asked about the direction for the Culture of Remembrance (Erinnerungskultur), they stated that maintaining the memory of the two totalitarian regimes in Germany—the Nazi regime and the East German socialist regime—is an important task for the present and the future.
< Stolperstein, inscribed with the name, date of birth, and other relevant information of Holocaust victims - Source: 'FAZ' >
The Culture of Remembrance is a concept in Germany—concretized in various ways across academia and politics—centered on reflecting on the past of the Nazi regime and the Holocaust and ensuring they are never repeated. 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, and national commemorative events are being planned. Throughout Germany, one can easily find Stolpersteine (Stumbling Stones) embedded in the cobblestones; these are brass plaques inscribed with the names and dates of birth of Holocaust victims. The German artist Gunter Demnig first started this art project in 1992. This is also considered a representative example of the Culture of Remembrance.