Comment: The new Minister of Culture Wolfram Weimer is a wise choice

The Weimer appointment began with a "no" for Friedrich Merz . According to information from the Berliner Zeitung, the future chancellor wanted to bring the former editor-in-chief of Welt and Focus into the Chancellery as government spokesperson. Weimer declined – why exactly is unknown. Perhaps because Friedrich Merz is someone who doesn't always listen to the advice of his communications experts – we remember "little pashas." Or because Wolfram Weimer knows from his experience in corporations that two alpha animals may get along well privately but can have major problems with each other professionally. When Joe Chialo, long considered a fixture in the CDU , began to waver, the lines between the two neighbors on Lake Tegernsee became hot again. To the surprise of many, Weimer agreed this time.

The first minister not to take office on the merits

That says a lot about Weimer, who is over 1.90 meters tall: He didn't want to go to Berlin at any price. The native of South Hesse is the first minister in modern German history not to take on the office for the money or the benefits – or even to need it. Weimer has had better-paid jobs in the private sector and is an immensely successful entrepreneur. There is an anecdote about the former Minister of Culture Julian Nida-Rümelin that he was nicknamed "Never There" in the Chancellery. The reason was the Munich SPD politician's love of travel, who liked to fly to even obscure cultural events. Weimer has no need for that. First class, invitations, and buffets are nothing new to him, or more likely bore him. Weimer is a doer who, with the Ludwig Erhard Summit, created an economic forum that can now stand comparison with the WEF in Davos.

Weimer is certainly up to the media-related tasks in his office. Regarding culture , I have two thoughts. First, left-wing intellectuals in the cultural sector would reject a conservative as Minister of Culture, regardless of his expertise. Second, even left-wing intellectuals can hardly claim that Claudia Roth 's term in office was a success. Weimer is supposed to pacify the cultural sector after the incidents that have occurred, particularly around the topic of anti-Semitism. Weimer brings several qualifications to the table: He is worldly-wise, well-read, and has a sense of humor. But on the issue at hand, Weimer is tough and stands by his convictions. He has had a particular influence on Springer Verlag because he never avoided confrontations with publishing house CEO Mathias Döpfner. This was important to Friedrich Merz; he was looking for a man who could prevent another scandal like the one at Documenta, because he could talk to the people in the cultural sector on an equal footing.

Weimer will have to learn to compromise

As a senior executive and entrepreneur, Weimer has learned how to count. Perhaps, despite the expected cuts in his department, he can create cultural surprises with one or two budget gimmicks. People who know Weimer say that he really wants to take on the job as Minister of Culture, and we hear that he will hand over the management of his own company entirely to his wife, Christiane Goetz-Weimer. So is everything rosy? Not necessarily, because Weimer will have to learn to compromise. The ability to compromise has not exactly been in demand in his CV so far. Weimer will also have to properly introduce himself in the left-liberal cultural scene. This has never been required in his previous fields of activity; in the media industry, the name Weimer sounds like thunder.

But the personnel decision is far better than what is currently being discussed in the feature sections of the major media. When was there a time in German politics when a minister was appointed who was not based on proportional representation? Which minister can point to real success in the private sector? Which minister can claim that the financial component is absolutely secondary? And who would voluntarily venture from the posh Tegernsee into the depths of Berlin's cultural scene? Answer: Someone with courage, someone who really wants to make a difference. That's why I believe Wolfram Weimer is a good choice for the office. I even think he will surprise many people. I have rarely written positively about Friedrich Merz's work; here I have to concede that the future chancellor has made a comprehensible and wise decision.

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