Germany and the Netherlands In Germany, cultural and artistic practices are considered a tool to innovate society and create room for public debate.
The previous government aimed to improve artists' social position and payed more attention to digitalisation, remembrance of culture, and ecological transformation in the cultural sector, as well as international cultural collaborations with a strong focus on the colonial past.
After the recent federal elections in February , a new government is being formed. Cultural ties are also intensive. Both countries aim to embed socially relevant topics such as a green and fair culture, inclusion and the restitution of colonial collections in the cultural sector. Those shared interests and common focus areas naturally create opportunities for collaboration between the two neighbouring countries.
This means that cultural funding is mostly regulated by the individual states and municipalities. An important country for Dutch creatives With its rich and well-funded cultural infrastructure, Germany offers Netherlands-based makers many presentation opportunities and the first stepping stones for cooperation, exchange and reflection.
Over the past years, the DutchCulture Database counted over 5. Dutch makers are perceived by German audiences as innovative, open-minded, diverse, pragmatic and internationally oriented. Germany also offers an excellent springboard for a further international career, in both German-speaking and English-speaking regions, with its strong links to Central and Eastern European countries.
