Berlin, 28 April 2025 - Publicist and media entrepreneur Wolfram Weimer is to become the new Minister of State for Culture and Media in the next federal government made up of the CDU, CSU and SPD. This was announced by the designated Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday as part of the announcement of his cabinet. Weimer succeeds Claudia Roth (Alliance 90/The Greens), who has held the post since 2021.

The appointment comes as a surprise, as Weimer has not previously been involved in cultural policy and - unlike his predecessors - does not hold a seat in the Bundestag. Merz's appointment is a continuation of previous practice, which was last seen under Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder: at that time, personalities from outside were also appointed to the Cultural Office.

Among other things, Weimer was editor-in-chief of the Worldthe Berliner Morgenpost and the Focus. He founded the political magazine Cicero and has been Managing Director of the Weimer Media Group, which he established in 2012 and which is responsible for various media formats.

Media policy plays a central role in the new government's coalition agreement. Observers therefore see Weimer's appointment as a signal that Friedrich Merz wants to prioritise content in this area. However, it remains to be seen what concrete priorities the new Minister of State for Culture will set in cultural policy.

The Managing Director of the German Cultural Council, Olaf Zimmermann, commented on the appointment with cautious optimism: "It will be exciting to see what priorities publicist and publisher Wolfram Weimer will set in cultural policy. The coalition agreement leaves a lot of room for manoeuvre, as few concrete new projects and goals are mentioned. [...] I am curious."

Whether Weimer proves his worth in political practice will soon become apparent - especially in the upcoming budget negotiations, in which cultural policy issues often have to fight for visibility.

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