The Austrian Cultural Council
- is a coalition of associations representing interests in art, culture and independent media.
- is a platform for shared cultural policy concerns and objectives.
- represents common interests to politics, administration, media and the public.
- is a contact to politics, administration and media.
- is an interface to regional, European and global organizations and networks.
The Austrian Cultural Council
- …pools cultural-political concerns and takes a stance on issues with interdisciplinary relevance in the sector.
- …initiates, intervenes in and promotes cultural, educational, media and socio-political debates.
- …cooperates to generate knowledge and provide access to information.
- …networks with and advises decision-makers in cultural policy.
- …actively participates in the shaping of cultural policy opinion and strategy development.
- …works consistently, long-term and goal-oriented to improve general conditions of artistic and cultural work, especially the social and economic situation of artists and those working in the arts and the entire spectrum of cultural production.
- …advocates that diversity of opinion and emancipatory participation of everyone involved in the arts, culture and media become a principle of cultural policy.
(Übersetzung: Ida Cerne)
Demands of the Austrian Cultural Council
Politics and Reality
- Increase of the budget for contemporary art to 0,5% of the national budget
- Implementation of the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity and orientation of cultural policy actions to its contents
- More transparency and reliability in art/cultural and media funding and its administration
Existence and Survival
- No repayment demands from the Artists’ Social Security Fund
- Immediate measures for art, cultural and media producers
- Equal social rights for all, regardless of nationality
- Secure livelihood must not be predicated on wage labor – unconditional basic income for all
Equal Rights for All!
- Immediate annulment of the Settlement and Residence Law and the downgrading of the residence law status of artists and scholars – right of residence for everyone
- Reformulation of the funding regulations to include anti-discrimination criteria
- Proactive funding for marginalized or under-represented sections of society also from the budget for art, culture and media
Intellectual Property Rights, Commons and Copyright
- Respect and safeguarding of intellectual property rights and adequate compensation for the use of the rights of authors, introduction of at copyright contract law
- Immediate abolishment of the cessio legis that is contrary to EU guidelines and a reform of film copyright laws
- Support for current artistic work with revenues from the use of works in the public domain (“Mozart penny”)
- Assurance of free access to knowledge and information and guaranteed right to private copying
Media Culture
- Fulfillment of the cultural and educational mandate in the radio, TV and online offers of the public service broadcasting institution ORF
- Expansion of the financial support and infrastructure for a self-determined media culture
- Public funding for information and communication technologies for non-commercial use for art, culture and education
- Breakup of the media cartels and no further power for Komm-Austria (Austrian Communications Authority)
Demands are detailed on the websites of the member associations of the Austrian Cultural Council