Berlin's culture senator resigns after €2.6M funding scandal

Berlin's Finance Senator Stefan Evers (CDU) will also take over as head of the Senate Department for Culture, Mayor Kai Wegner announced on Wednesday morning. "Finance Senator Stefan Evers is already negotiating the capital financing agreement, which also covers funding for Berlin's cultural sector," the CDU politician said. "I would therefore like to sincerely thank Stefan Evers for his willingness to take on this additional responsibility for the coming months."

Evers succeeds Sarah Wedl-Wilson (non-partisan), who resigned as culture senator on Friday. Her departure followed a report by Berlin's audit office, which ruled that €2.6 million in funding for 13 projects in the field of antisemitism prevention had been unlawfully approved. Wedl-Wilson had authorized the grants.

Initially, former Justice Senator and ex-MP Thomas Heilmann (CDU) had been considered for the post. However, during a meeting on Tuesday evening, CDU district chairs agreed to appoint Evers instead. According to participants, the district leaders unanimously concluded that Evers was the right choice for the role, given his financial expertise as well as his strong affinity for culture. Berlin's mayor and CDU state chair Kai Wegner also attended the meeting.

On Tuesday afternoon, Wegner had emphasized that no final decision on Wedl-Wilson's successor had yet been made and that discussions were still ongoing. With Berlin's state elections scheduled for September 20, Evers is set to lead both senate departments until then.