Grüne on culture and media

The Greens want to revise Lower Saxony's heritage protection law. Climate protection, resource conservation and accessibility would have to be weighed against heritage concerns as a matter of law. Solar panels on protected roofs would become easier to install.

Many old buildings are protected by law. The Greens want to change this law. Climate protection and access for disabled people should count more. Solar panels on old roofs should be easier to allow.

Listed buildings are to be carefully renovated for energy efficiency and switched to renewable energy. Restrictions on removable solar installations on protected roofs would be dropped. The state heritage office would get more funding to train staff at local heritage authorities, with the aim of reducing conflicts on the ground. The party also wants to support initiatives for public dialogue, participation and renovation advice, such as networks of volunteer advisers or cooperatives. Building-culture considerations are also to be reflected in building law.

The Greens want minimum fees for artists and cultural workers and predictable funding for cultural institutions. The platform argues that the Covid pandemic showed how precarious the conditions are under which art and culture are often created.

Many artists earn little money. The Greens want minimum fees for them. Theaters and other cultural venues should be able to plan safely. Applying for funding should become easier.

Besides minimum fees, the party calls for appropriate pay for exhibitions and fair prices when art for public spaces is purchased. The state is to cover collectively agreed wage increases at institutionally funded organizations and make venue funding for independent theaters permanent. Funding procedures are to become simpler and less bureaucratic and be backed by advisory services. There is also to be binding cultural development planning in which all cultural players take part and which is reviewed regularly. Culture should not be first in line for cuts when budgets are tight.

The Greens want to gear the state's media funding toward training young journalists and toward regional and local reporting. This is meant to secure local diversity and counter media concentration. Community media, film and games are also to receive more funding.

The Greens want many different media in Lower Saxony. Media companies should get money if they train young journalists. Reporting on local topics should also be rewarded. Community radio and local TV should get more money. Old films and newspapers should be saved in digital form.

A special program is planned for new ways of distributing journalism and for collaboration such as joint research networks. Nonprofit journalism is to be recognized as a charitable purpose in the federal tax code, which the Greens want to push for at the federal level. The state media law is to be changed so that the state media authority and community media have enough funds. Film funding is to gain a cultural strand, and support for reportage, documentaries and games is to improve. Historical films, reports and print products are to be digitized and archived publicly.