Third Pillar

Overdue

The German federal parliament's (Bundestag) foreign ministry budget decision for 2008 signifies an increase of more than 15 percent - reaching 658 million Euros - for cultural relations and educational policy abroad. Critics said this foreign cultural relations policy increase was "long overdue".[1] In the field of science, for example, foreign policy had repeatedly suffered financial cuts, in recent years, because other sectors of foreign policy engagements, particularly military activities, were given higher priority.

Link to Germany

On the one hand, the largest mediator of German foreign cultural relations policy is profiting from this financial increase: the "Goethe Institute", the worldwide operating German cultural institute, will again increase the quantity of its overseas centers. On the other hand, two other foreign ministry projects will receive additional finances: a new program for Africa will receive 20 million Euros and 45 million Euros will go to the initiative "schools, the partner of the future". This initiative is aimed at promoting German schools overseas and schools that have a German language branch. Overseas educational facilities are considered the centerpiece of the foreign cultural relations and educational policy. The majority of students, learning at German schools, are citizens of the respective countries where these schools are located. After graduation, according to the Foreign Ministry, many of them went on to German universities and maintained contact to Germany during their professional lives. This is how "networks" are created, upon which German "foreign policy, export business and culture can rely."[2] The students establish "ties to Germany, which will last throughout their lives."[3] This is why the November 2005 government coalition agreement provided for a strengthening of the German overseas educational facilities.

Largest Investment

The foreign ministry would like to double the number of overseas German schools in 2008. At present there are 117 German schools in 63 countries and more than 400 schools abroad with German language branches. Whereas currently about 500 learning facilities are serving German interests, they should be increased to at least 1000 in the future. The reason given for the largest investment ever into German educational facilities abroad, is that global competitors such as the USA, France, Great Britain and Italy, have been recognizing the significance of their foreign cultural relations policies much earlier and have expanded their educational networks accordingly.[4] The German government is negotiating presently with German enterprises to co-finance the program and become tutors.

Increased Significance

The cultural program receiving new finances, "Africa," according to Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, is supporting "the Foreign Ministry's efforts to establish a political, economic and cultural partnership with Africa" [5] and is a symbol for the regional reorientation of foreign cultural relations policy. Previously, most of the resources were going to West European states (the "EU-15" - 24.9 percent), followed by Latin America (15.6 percent), Asia (14.4 percent), the new EU member states (8.3 percent), Eastern European non-EU states (7.7 percent) and the Near and Middle East (7.3 percent). The aim now is to strengthen activities in Asia and the Middle East, as well as the consolidation in the new EU member states and the bordering Eastern European countries. This is how Berlin would like to "cope with the increased significance of these politically and culturally extraordinarily dynamic regions."[6]

Follow Capital Interests

The foreign cultural relations policy therefore, complies with German business interests. Faced with reinforced global export competition, the German industry is seeking to strengthen its activities in the economic growth regions of Asia, the Gulf Region, and Eastern and South Eastern Europe and is expecting to be supported by increased lobbying from the Foreign Ministry.[7] Two years ago, one could still hear in cultural circles, that cultural and educational activities should not unilaterally "follow capital interests."[8] In the meantime the foreign cultural relations policy has largely been subordinated to the needs of expanding German enterprises.

Sales

The German overseas educational system is "increasingly" orienting itself "also to the dynamics of Germany's commercial and economic ties," reports the German government. Cooperation, which, earlier, had been incidental within the framework of individual projects, has, in recent years, been transformed into a "conscientious partnership between the public sector and private institutions."[9] Numerous cultural projects, initiated by Goethe Institutes, German embassies and other cultural mediators, are being already implemented in cooperation with German firms, writes the Foreign Ministry. With the aid of a "guideline for cultural sponsoring", the Foreign Ministry is trying to familiarize the German personnel engaged in culture abroad with the "supplementary advantage of cooperation with business."[10] These guidelines state that particular attention should be given, in all projects, to supporting the industry's strategic marketing and communication goals: "In the ideal case, sales will be increased, new target groups and markets will be tapped and public sympathy won."

Business for Culture?

The public and private sector are already firmly cooperating in an organized manner in the "Cultural Affairs Foundations of German Business". The "Business for Culture Promotion Group" that was founded in 2006, in Slovenian Ljubljana, is the seventh such cultural foundation, with the participation of the German embassy, the local Goethe Institute and German enterprises. Similar foundations are in preparation in other cities. The German government explains that cultural foundations are firmly engaging local German enterprises in the oversees cultural presentation of Germany and are making them into "permanent promoters" of German cultural relations and language policy. The cooperation between the foreign ministry and private partners should be systematically enhanced and expanded.[11]

Culture for Business

As the Foreign Ministry's "Guidelines for Cultural Sponsoring" indicates, the foreign cultural relations and educational policy is actually becoming increasingly entwined in the maelstrom of overseas economic interests. In the meantime business has been directly influencing the concerned departments of the federal ministries in an organized manner. Just recently, business, science and university representatives met in Berlin with specialists from the respective ministries for an initial "informal talk". Participating in the "talk," at the initiative of Klaus Kinkel, former foreign minister and current member of the board of the German Telekom Foundation, were Juergen Thumann, President of the Federation of German Industries, as well as Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. This exquisite circle discussed nothing less than new adjustments to the third pillar of German foreign policy.[12]

[1] Außenwissenschaftspolitik; Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 29.12.2007
[2] Das Auslandsschulwesen als Zentrales Element der Auswärtigen Kultur- und Bildungspolitik; www.auswaertiges-amt.de. See also Hintergrundbericht: Die Zentralstelle für das Auslandsschulwesen
[3] "Stärkung der Auswärtigen Kultur- und Bildungspolitik ist Investition in gemeinsame Zukunft!"; Auswärtiges Amt, Pressemitteilung vom 03.12.2007
[4] Außenwissenschaftspolitik; Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 29.12.2007
[5] "Stärkung der Auswärtigen Kultur- und Bildungspolitik ist Investition in gemeinsame Zukunft!"; Auswärtiges Amt, Pressemitteilung vom 03.12.2007
[6] Bericht der Bundesregierung zur Auswärtigen Kulturpolitik 2005 / 2006; www.auswaertiges-amt.de. See also Dichter und Lenker and Wettbewerb um die besten Köpfe
[7] see also Rekorde im Abschwung
[8] see also Verbindungsbüro
[9] Bericht der Bundesregierung zur Auswärtigen Kulturpolitik 2005/2006; www.auswaertiges-amt.de
[10] Kultursponsoring in der Auswärtigen Kultur- und Bildungspolitik. Ein Leitfaden für die Praxis; www.auswaertiges-amt.de
[11] Bericht der Bundesregierung zur Auswärtigen Kulturpolitik 2005/2006; www.auswaertiges-amt.de
[12] Außenwissenschaftspolitik; Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 29.12.2007