Germany

[DE] Inter-State Agreement Aims to Boost North Germany as a Location for Media Business

IRIS 2006-7:1/16

Nicola Weißenborn

Institute of European Media Law (EMR), Saarbrücken/Brussels

The North German Länder of Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg intend in future to cooperate more closely on strengthening North Germany’s position as a location for media business. To that end, the Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg’s Governing Mayor met in Kiel on 13 June to sign a new Inter-State Media Agreement.

In particular the Agreement provides for the private-broadcasting supervisory authorities of the two Länder - the Hamburgische Anstalt für die neuen Medien (Hamburg New Media Office - HAM) and Schleswig-Holstein’s Unabhängige Landesanstalt für Rundfunk und neue Medien (Independent State Broadcasting and New Media Office) to merge. The new joint supervisory authority, the Medienanstalt Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein (Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein Media Office - HSH), will in future implement common media rules for both Länder .

The merger is intended not only to give North Germany an edge in competition with other parts of the country as a location for media business, but also to strengthen the hand of the two Länder when it comes to sharing responsibilities in the course of cooperation with other German media authorities.

The government’s draft of the Inter-State Agreement now has to be approved by the parliaments of both Länder . A first reading was due to take place in late June. It is planned that the new HSH will start work 1 May 2007 when the Agreement comes into force.

The programme of closer cooperation agreed by the two Länder will also include the establishment of a joint film aid agency. In the field of education, too, there are plans for improvement, with closer networking among media education and training bodies.