International Topics

In the field of foreign cultural and educational policy, the responsibilities of the federal government and the federal states overlap. While foreign policy is generally a matter for the federal government, the areas of education and culture largely fall within the competence of the federal states. Cooperation in this area is clearly regulated by law and through federal-state agreements.

The federal states coordinate their cooperation in European and international education and cultural policy within the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs. Various committees of the Conference deal with these issues. The Conference of Science Ministers has its own body for this area: the Commission for European and International Affairs (EuKiA).

As an advisory body to the Conference of Science Ministers, EuKiA provides guidance on cooperation within the European Union as well as in bilateral and multilateral contexts. In multilateral contexts, the focus is primarily on the participation of the federal states in bodies and expert conferences of the Council of Europe, UNESCO, and the OECD.

EuKiA coordinates strategic issues and regularly holds joint discussions with the relevant federal ministries in these contexts.

• Strategic framework for European cooperation in general and vocational education “ET 2030”
• Strategic Agenda 2024–2029 at EU level (insert new link)
• Copenhagen Process in the field of vocational education and training
• EU cultural funding instruments
• European Capital of Culture
• Protection and promotion of cultural heritage
• International cultural relations with third countries

The basis for the participation of the federal states in EU matters is:

• Article 23 of the Basic Law,
• its implementing provisions in the Act on Cooperation between the Federation and the Federal States in Matters concerning the European Union (EUZBLG), and
• the federal-state agreement pursuant to § 9 EUZBLG.

In accordance with these provisions, the federal states participate in EU matters through the Bundesrat. The Bundesrat is comprehensively informed by the Federal Government about EU initiatives and may submit opinions on them. If an initiative primarily concerns the exclusive legislative competence of the federal states in the areas of school education, culture, or broadcasting, the conduct of negotiations in EU bodies is transferred to a representative of the federal states appointed by the Bundesrat.

Innerhalb der Kultusministerkonferenz und ihrer Fachgremien erarbeiten die Länder regelmäßig einvernehmliche Positionen zu europapolitischen Grundsatzfragen und EU-Vorhaben. Diese fließen wiederum in die Beratungen des Bundesrates ein. Darüber hinaus stellen die Länder innerhalb der Kultusministerkonferenz auch die erforderliche Übereinstimmung bei der laufenden Durchführung und Umsetzung europäischer Maßnahmen auf der Länderebene sicher. Hierfür wurden spezielle Abstimmungsmechanismen festgelegt, die den oftmals engen europäischen Zeitvorgaben Rechnung tragen (KMK-Verfahren in Angelegenheiten der Europäischen Union). 

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development OECD was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Paris. The OECD’s work in education policy is guided by the principle of ‘achieving high-quality learning for all, contributing to personal development, sustainable economic growth, and social cohesion.’ The main focus of its education policy activities includes providing internationally comparable education statistics and indicators, conducting cross-country studies on specific education topics, and carrying out education policy reviews.

The key area of participation by the federal states in the OECD’s education policy activities continues to be international performance comparisons (including PISA) and work on indicators (see the annually published OECD study Education at a Glance.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is the most important specialized agency within the UN system for the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, headquartered in Paris. Education is the largest program area of UNESCO, with the global action program ‘Education for All’ at its core, coordinated by UNESCO.

UNESCO Associated Schools, which are committed to the principles of international understanding and intercultural learning, form a cross-border network of around 8,000 schools of all types and levels. In Germany, approximately 190 UNESCO Associated Schools are coordinated by a national coordinator.

In the cultural sector, UNESCO’s main tasks include the protection and preservation of cultural heritage, the safeguarding and promotion of cultural diversity, and fostering dialogue between cultures. In Germany, the Standing Conference coordinates the proposals of the federal states - constitutionally responsible for culture—for the UNESCO World Heritage List. At the national level, the German Commission for UNESCO (DUK) is the key instrument for Germany’s involvement in UNESCO. The Standing Conference participates in shaping and implementing UNESCO programs through its members in the decision-making bodies of the DUK

The main objectives of the Council of Europe’s educational and cultural activities include promoting awareness of a common cultural identity among Europeans, particularly in the fields of language, history, civic education, heritage conservation, general cultural promotion, and the application and use of new information technologies. In the area of education and culture, the Council of Europe plays an important intermediary and bridging role with the reform states of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe.

Educational and cultural activities of the Council of Europe in which the German federal states, through the Standing Conference, actively participate include:

• Promoting multilingualism in schools, higher education, and adult education;
• Education for democracy based on European legal traditions and core values;
• Addressing topics of modern European history in teaching, including the Holocaust;
• Developing recommendations for intercultural and interreligious dialogue and intercultural education;
• Promoting and safeguarding cultural heritage and monument protection as well as heritage conservation