Promotion of the Culture of National Minorities
There are thirteen national minorities living on the territory of the SR: Bulgarian, Czech, Croatian, Hungarian, Moravian, German, Polish, Roma, Ruthenian, Russian, Serbian, Ukrainian and Jewish. The cultures of all national minorities living on the territory of Slovakia represent part of the tangible and intangible cultural wealth of the Slovak Republic and this is how Slovakia approaches the promotion and presentation of these cultures at home and abroad. The subsidy programme is one of the instruments for the promotion of the cultures of national minorities.
The aims of the subsidy programme are the promotion of cultural activities and periodical and non-periodical publishing. The following are among the cultural activities: presenting the cultures of national minorities, supporting the activities of 4 professional national theatres and 8 national museums, promoting the activities of civil societies developing the culture of all 13 national minorities, promoting the activities of the professional Hungarian folk ensemble Young Hearts– Ifjú Szivek, promoting the activities of regional cultural centres and public libraries and promoting the public-service broadcasting of programmes in the languages of national minorities– Radio and Television of Slovakia.
Up to 2010, the subsidy programme for the promotion of the culture of national minorities was in the competence of the Ministry. Now it is in the competence of the Deputy Prime Minister for Human Rights and National Minorities. 15 grant commissions operate in the subsidy programme and each commission takes care of the applications of one national minority; two commissions were established for the Hungarian minority. The members of these commissions are members of national minorities and representatives of the Government Office of the SR. As advisory organs, the commissions professionally assess all of the applications for subsidies of the relevant national minority and propose the amount of the financial subsidy. 3,287,061 € were allocated for the subsidy programme Culture of National Minorities in 2008; in 2009 it was 3,463,273 €; in 2010 it was 3,485,362 € and in 2011 it was 3,934,270 €.
Statistics from 2011 showed the need to increase the volume of funds for the promotion of the culture of national minorities. 4.5 million euro (500,000 € more than in 2011) are allocated from the state budget for 2012.
Based on this measure, activities in the areas of theatre, dance, music, literature, fine arts, education, culture and publishing of national minorities were supported and contribute to the strengthening of national culture and identity and to the development of the multicultural understanding of society. The project brings a synergic effect to this area of culture and its outcome is the creation, preservation and development of permanent cultural values and special attention to projects with activities for children and youth.