Financing stop?

Klagenfurt bankruptcy threatens to wipe out culture

The Carinthian cultural committee asks via the Lindwurm, the city's landmark: "What's the plan?"(Bild: Kärntner Kulturgremium)

Without a budget resolution for 2025, there is a threat of a funding freeze and thus the end of funding for associations in the areas of art and culture, social affairs, women and equal opportunities or sport.

A huge debt hole of a good 50 million euros is gaping in the budget of the provincial capital of Klagenfurt. It remains to be seen when the urgently needed budget resolution for 2025 will be passed, as the city's politicians do not see themselves in a position to do so. This means that from January 1, the so-called provisional budget including the twelfth rule will come into force.

In concrete terms, this means that each department will have one twelfth of the previous year's budget at its disposal each month to cover running costs. In addition, only expenditure that is required by law or existing contractual obligations can be incurred, and this is the latest point at which the existence of the department is threatened.

For the work of associations in the fields of art and culture, but also social affairs, women and equal opportunities or sport, which is based on voluntary services, this means a funding freeze and thus the loss of subsidies, prizes and grants. A devastating cut that would affect a good 80 percent of the cultural sector (with the exception of the contractually secured Gustav Mahler Private University and the Chamber of Labor Library).

Shaky situation 1: The Viktring Music Forum is also massively threatened by the funding freeze.(Bild: GERT EGGENBERGER)

klagenfurter ensemble: Infrastructure is covered, but not ongoing performance operations.(Bild: klagenfurter ensemble)

Children's carnival instead of Bachmann Prize (photo)? That would be the end of the literary capital.(Bild: ORF)

Shaky game 4: The Villa For Forest around Raimund Spöck and the Verein Innenhofkultur(Bild: Raimund Spöck/Verein Innenhofkultur)

The main blame for this bankruptcy plight is placed on the Klagenfurt city council with its bloated bureaucracy, where 1800 (!) employees have driven personnel costs (a third of the total budget of around 130 million euros) to dizzying heights.

In an online petition, the interest group of cultural initiatives in Carinthia demands: "Klagenfurt, do your job: budget decision now!" And the Carinthian Cultural Committee also takes a stand on cultural policy in an open letter and asks city politicians to answer the essential question: "What is the plan?"

It is also clear to Franz Petritz (SPÖ), Head of the Department of Culture: "The aim of the city government must be to approve the budget and also subsidize voluntary services. My focus is now on securing the infrastructure. I appeal to political common sense and seriousness to preserve culture." Hope dies last? We can only hope that the state of Carinthia will step in to provide funding for the city.Irina Lino