Slovenian cultural projects face uncertainty over possible funding cuts

Slovenia’s Culture Ministry has asked recipients of public cultural funding to stop submitting payment claims until further notice as the government prepares a budget revision expected in September 2026. The ministry also warned that previously approved funding could be reduced, leaving festivals, nongovernmental organizations, and independent cultural workers uncertain about projects already underway.

Tatjana Jercog, artistic director of the International Biennial of Contemporary Music Koper, said recipients had not been informed about the possible scale of the reductions or the criteria the ministry would use. Some applicants had received decisions confirming the amounts awarded but had not yet received contracts, preventing them from submitting payment claims.

Jercog noted that international festivals arrange appearances months in advance and may already have signed contracts and booked flights, accommodation, and technical services. Organizers therefore do not know whether they will need to reduce their programs, cancel events, or seek additional funding.

Slovenian artist, puppeteer, and theatre director Nika Solce stressed that public cultural funding is awarded through competitive procedures rather than automatically. Preparing an application may require weeks or months of unpaid work on programming, budgets, schedules, partnerships, and documentation. Once support is approved, organizations begin reserving venues, signing contracts, and assuming expenses that cannot necessarily be reduced if the state later changes its contribution.

The Slovene Writers’ Association also expressed concern, arguing that culture should not become a target of budget savings because it preserves the Slovene language, strengthens national identity, and maintains cultural memory. It called for predictable funding, dialogue between the ministry and cultural workers, and respect for the state’s existing contractual obligations.

The Culture Ministry said a financial review had identified an 8.9 million euro shortfall in the funding needed to meet statutory and contractual obligations through the end of 2026. According to the ministry, the largest gap concerned the budget line for social security contributions for self-employed cultural workers.

Culture Minister Ignacija Fridl Jarc rejected allegations that the measures amounted to political retaliation. She said the ministry had not stopped all payments and that claims whose statutory payment deadlines had passed had been settled. She also noted that co-financing agreements allow approved amounts to be adjusted following a budget revision.

Fridl Jarc said the ministry had first sought internal savings by ending student employment, reducing its vehicle fleet, and gradually decreasing staff numbers. She added that the Finance Ministry would not provide additional funds to cover the shortfall.

Former Culture Minister Asta Vrečko, now a lawmaker for the Left party, disputed the ministry’s explanation. She argued that the measures represented a political decision by the new leadership and said funding for previously announced calls had already been allocated in the budget. Vrečko warned that reductions or delays could result in fewer festivals, exhibitions, workshops, children’s events, and other cultural programs.

CNVOS, Slovenia’s national umbrella network for nongovernmental organizations, advised recipients with signed contracts to continue implementing their approved projects, paying invoices, and submitting reports and payment claims within the agreed deadlines. Its legal service said that notice of a forthcoming budget revision alone was not sufficient grounds to change existing agreements or reject properly submitted claims.

CNVOS acknowledged that ministries may reduce co-financing if their budget allocations are formally cut. However, it said existing agreements remain valid until the budget has actually been revised and the parties have signed an amendment or otherwise changed the contract.

As reported earlier, a separate dispute over public cultural funding has affected organizations in neighboring Slovakia. In May 2026, the Tranz festival of translated literature received no support from the Slovak Arts Support Fund and had to reduce its program. Funding for the BRaK Literary Festival was cut by 70%, while support was withdrawn from cultural institutions that had already signed three-year agreements.

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