Slovakia's Culture Ministry Backtracks on Controversial Arts Funding Cuts

Slovakia's Ministry of Culture and the Arts Support Fund have reversed their decision to cancel ongoing multi-year arts grants worth 2.1 million euros, just one week after the controversial move sparked public outcry. Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová of the nationalist Slovak National Party (SNS), along with her deputy Lukáš Machala and Arts Support Fund Council Chairman Matúš Oľha, announced the reversal at a press conference. The original decision by the Fund's Council had terminated existing multi-year grants, affecting what the ministry had described as "privileged groups" in the arts sector. The Arts Support Fund is a state institution that distributes public funding to cultural projects and organizations across Slovakia. The reversal suggests the government faced significant pressure over the cuts, which would have disrupted ongoing cultural programs and projects that had already received approved multi-year funding commitments.