Slovak Culture Ministry Ends Church Facade Renovation Support as Regional Funds Show Religious Project Bias

Slovakia's Culture Ministry has announced it will no longer support church facade renovations through its funding programs. The decision comes amid scrutiny over participatory budgeting practices in regions led by officials like Milan Majerský, where such cuts are being offset through alternative local grant schemes. Participatory budgeting allows residents of municipalities, cities, or regions to directly decide on public spending by proposing projects and voting via SMS for which nominated initiatives receive financial support. Questions have emerged about the fairness of this system in Majerský's region, where 90 percent of winning projects have connections to religious organizations, raising concerns about potential bias in the allocation of public funds through citizen-driven budget processes.