Tasks and responsibilities
The Cultural Affairs Committee is a standing committee that has a very broad agenda. The committee addresses any topic associated with cultural policies, including media and sports policies. Examples include:
- public archives
- libraries
- museums
- protected buildings
- cultural environmental issues
- ancient monuments
- sport
- copyright
- non-formal education
- the media
- creative arts
- music
- theatre
- film
- tertiary education in the creative arts.
The committee closely monitors governmental work in these fields. The committee’s tasks and responsibilities can be subdivided into two primary areas: handling of bills and motions within the committee’s remit; and ongoing parliamentary scrutiny of the administration carried out by the Minister for Culture of government culture policies, including media and sports policies.
Parliamentary scrutiny of how the government addresses cultural policy generally is often one of the Cultural Affairs Committee's primary activities. In practise, scrutiny is exercised through the standing committee members’ tabling questions to the Minister.
The government is responsible for Denmark's cultural policies. Cultural policies are, however, often compromises negotiated by the Minister for Culture, who enters into multi-annual agreements with the political parties’ cultural policy spokesmen. This applies, for example, to film, media and sports.