09/10/2002 - Gerhard Schroeder appoints literature expert, Christina Weiss, to this important post

Christina Weiss is Germany’s new Minister for Culture. An expert in literature and known for her independent character, Weiss was appointed by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder who heads a Socialist-Green coalition. Weiss replaces Julian Nida-Ruemelin who stepped down after the recent German general election. « It is a big challenge for me, » said Weiss, adding that her immediate priorities included returning a number of German institutions such as the Goethe Institut to the control of the Culture Ministry : it is currently managed by the Foreign Ministry. Weiss described her new role as that of an intermediary between politics and the arts.

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