German cultural minister Wolfram Weimer, who sits as an independent in the cabinet, has reaffirmed his opposition to a mandatory investment law for U.S. streaming services operating in Germany.
“We would introduce significant bureaucracy and restrictions for companies producing here” Weimer told “Handelsblatt” in its Wednesday edition.
The minister also hinted at possible retaliatory actions from the United States. “The U.S. embassy is watching the film‑funding debate very closely, as far as I know” he said, suggesting that the U.S. might respond to any restrictive measures taken by Germany.
The dispute has been going on for weeks between the Chancellor’s Office and the Ministry of Finance. Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) linked an additional €120 million in film‑funding from the previous year to a condition that major streaming platforms-such as Netflix and Disney-raise their investments in Germany. Klingbeil wants to make this requirement legal. Weimer, on the other hand, has rejected any compulsory investment rule and has instead negotiated self‑commitments with the industry’s biggest players.
“We could only require that German‑based productions invest in Europe under EU competition law” Weimer explained. He also warned that a law could invite legal challenges, noting that public‑broadcasting groups have already indicated that such a statute would be a hard‑to‑justify intrusion into their programming freedom. Similar concerns have been raised by foreign streamers, who argue that a law with “very high and detailed stipulations” would unduly limit their business flexibility-exactly the kind of freedom producers seek.
“We have found a very sound compromise that even key members of the SPD parliamentary group support” the cultural minister added. “The voluntary pledges will be monitored rapidly, and if obligations are not met, legislation will follow”. Despite the risks, Weimer expressed confidence in the commitments of ARD, ZDF, RTL, Pro Sieben, Netflix, and other major content providers.
