Mölzer criticizes Babler: SPÖ's cultural policy remains up in the air!

Mölzer criticizes Babler: SPÖ's cultural policy remains up in the air!

On April 28, 2025, the FPÖ cultural spokesman NAbg made a statement. Wendelin Mölzer critical of SPÖ Vice-Chancellor Babler's recent interviews. In his remarks, Mölzer described the interviews as uncritical and empty of content, which, in his opinion, casts a negative light on the Austrian media landscape. He also criticized that Babler's political line was unclear and that there was a lack of clear announcements or a clear U-turn regarding cultural policy.

Mölzer particularly opposed Babler's view that the state must “offer” culture. The FPÖ firmly rejects this position and instead demands that the state should only create the framework conditions for culture without acting as a cultural producer itself. Mölzer noted that there is a lack of clear announcements on important measures such as creating more transparency in the awarding of funding in the arts and culture sector.

Criticism of lack of transparency and ideology

Mölzer also criticized the SPÖ under Babler for being careless in view of current cultural developments. He sees no signs of a de-ideologization and democratization of the cultural sector and claims that the SPÖ promotes a policy that continues to pursue non-transparent and ideological approaches. This leads to the exclusion of undesirable artists and projects.

The FPÖ, on the other hand, advocates freedom of art, transparency in cultural funding and the depoliticization of the cultural sector. Mölzer called for a cultural policy that is firmly oriented towards the needs of citizens and creates an open and fair cultural area.

Federal cultural policy guidelines

In a broader context, on June 21, 2024, the Federal Ministry for Art, Culture, Public Service and Sport (BMKÖS) published the “Federal Cultural Policy Guidelines”. These guidelines are the result of a strategy process that began in 2021. Eight central fields of action were defined to promote modern and sustainable cultural management:

• Innovation und Digitalisierung
• Fairness und soziale Verantwortung
• Internationalisierung
• Publikum und Kulturvermittlung
• Ökologie und Nachhaltigkeit
• Baukultur und kulturelles Erbe
• Förderkultur
• Dialog

The cultural policy guidelines cover topics such as securing the freedom of art, addressing new audiences and ensuring fair pay. They aim to actively shape the built environment and thus represent a comprehensive plan for future cultural policy. Further information can be found in the published PDF document, which has a file size of 2 MB and is available on the BMKÖS website ( BMKÖS ).

In view of these developments, it remains to be seen how the SPÖ will respond to Mölzer's criticism and what steps will be taken to improve transparency and promote an open cultural policy.

OTS reports about the current discussion about cultural policy and the position of the FPÖ as well as their criticism of the SPÖ under Babler.