BRATISLAVA – Slovakia risks losing up to €35 million in EU funding for youth programmes after the European Commission warned that it could take action over the suspension of payments to an LGBTI+ youth organisation.

The row comes amid growing tensions between Brussels and Bratislava over LGBTI+ rights. Since returning to power in 2023, Prime Minister Robert Fico’s government has adopted an increasingly conservative stance on social issues. Earlier this year, the ruling coalition approved a controversial constitutional amendment stating that there are only two sexes and restricting adoption to married couples, a move that effectively excludes same-sex couples from adopting children.

The dispute emerged in June when the National Institute of Education and Youth (NIVaM) withheld a grant of around €120,000 awarded to Saplinq under the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes.

While the institute has attributed the delay to technical issues, Slovak media previously revealed internal emails suggesting the payment was halted on the instruction of Education Minister Tomáš Drucker because the project concerned the LGBTI+ agenda.

She added that the institute had failed to provide a transparent, substantive or legally justified explanation for withholding the advance payment.

The Commission also warned that it could launch formal proceedings against the institute for breaching programme rules and reduce Slovakia’s EU funding allocation.

Should the dispute affect not only the European Solidarity Corps but also the wider Erasmus+ programme, up to €35 million in EU funding could be put at risk, potentially affecting a broad range of youth, education and volunteering projects.

The Education Ministry rejected responsibility, saying it has no authority to intervene in the administration, control or decision-making of individual grant applications.

(cs)