Petition against GEMA's fee policy

In July 2023, representatives of local authorities and clubs from the districts of Meißen and Erzgebirge came together in Radebeul to share their experiences with GEMA's current fee policy. The participants had received exorbitant fee notices for the 2022 Christmas markets and were representative of other affected municipalities.

This includes Radebeul. The city organises major events such as the Karl May Festival, the autumn and wine festival and the Christmas market through its cultural department. GEMA issued a bill of around €13,000 for the Radebeul Christmas market in 2022 compared to the usual €1,000, but GEMA also estimated prices in the five-figure range for smaller outdoor events in Radebeul. The town of Oberwiesenthal received a horrendous bill of €25,000 from GEMA for the 2022 Christmas market. The mayors of the Ore Mountains also drew attention to traditional mining events (choir concerts, mountain parades). With the current charging policy, these could no longer be financed by the budgets of smaller municipalities in the future. This also affects the voluntary associations that organise Christmas markets and other outdoor events.

The participants agreed that GEMA's current fees policy is unacceptable. The reduced fee notices following appeals are also still part of the problem. A viable solution must be found for the future so that the costs for events remain affordable and, above all, predictable.

As GEMA remains intransigent despite well-founded objections and continues to trivialise the problem, the relevant representatives of local authorities and associations have agreed on joint action and have drawn up a petition as an initiative group. They are now going public with it and are campaigning for broad support so that culture can be preserved, especially in rural areas.

>> Link to openPetition