2. Current cultural affairs
Slovakia
Last update: August, 2018
The perception of cultural policy and the need for its definition and elaboration have gradually changed in the course of the last decade - from partial and operative resolutions (early 1990s), through a stressing of the national dimension of culture and the interventionist model of cultural policy associated with this, at the time of the establishment of the Slovak Republic (1993 - 1998), through the decentralisation of the state administration, public finances and cultural institutions (1998 - 2002), until the seeking of a definition, new contents and instruments of cultural policy, from the year 2002 to the present.
The main documents in the process of defining the principles and instruments of the cultural policy of the Slovak Republic were the National Report on SR Cultural Policy (2003) and the State Cultural Policy Strategy (2004).
Cultural policy in Slovakia is understood as the creation of an environment in which the processes of creation, diffusion (accessibility) and preservation of cultural values are undertaken. The participation of the state and lower sections of the state administration in the creation of this environment (in the realisation of cultural policy) is imperative, and in many aspects decisive. It is not, however, determinative - especially as regards cultural contents.
The basic areas of the current cultural policy of the Slovak Republic are the conservation of cultural heritage, support for art and artistic creation, and the development of the media environment. A separate area is the culture of national minorities. The main lines of the state cultural policy are the presentation of Slovak culture and artistic creation abroad, and support for the culture of Slovaks living abroad. A special part of cultural policy is the relation of the state to the Churches and religious communities.
A basic goal of cultural policy in Slovakia is to change the relation of the society and the individual to culture - also in the sense of a Council of Europe document (In from the Margins). Incorporating this change, through the tools of cultural policy, along with the preservation and development of cultural heterogeneity, is perceived in the political and professional community as an act in the public interest.
Connected to this, the main priorities of cultural policy have been progressively formed in political decisions and in specialist discussions as follows:
- a guarantee of the ideological neutrality of state activity in the area of culture;
- a guarantee of freedom of expression and artistic creation for all, and the creation of real conditions for its implementation;
- increasing the accessibility of culture and the opportunities for the individual to participate in cultural life, to engage in their own creative activities, and to have access to cultural values;
- support for national culture and the cultures of national minorities and ethnic groups in their diversity, with emphasis on quality and equality of opportunities;
- transformation of cultural institutions in the public sector - their activity, legal form, administration and financing;
- support and development of cooperation of public, non-profit and public sectors in the area of culture and the culture industries;
- creation of an environment and securing of conditions for the continuous existence and development of the culture industries;
- securing the protection and accessibility of the cultural heritage, its systematic digitalisation, and information on the culture infrastructure;
- support for education in the area of culture and art, the teaching of professions in the culture industry;
- support for international cultural exchanges on the territory of Slovakia, and the effective presentation of Slovakia abroad;
- creation of conditions for the effective conjunction of culture to the processes of development of tourism and tourist services; and
- support for the development and validation of the Slovak language under the new conditions of Slovakia's membership in the European Union.
Public debates on cultural policy issues and priorities in recent years are mostly focused on financing schemes and models for cultural activities and institutions. Concerning this subject there are most frequent questions of "multi-sources" financing system for culture (real possibilities and legal incentives of private investments and sponsorship).
Financing and control system, mission, legal status, programming questions and main goals of public service broadcasters (Slovak Radio, Slovak Television) are permanent topics of public debates since 1990.
In public debates experts often underline a need for an official and detailed document on cultural policy which could be a basic platform for a better coordination of particular policy activities on all levels of public administration (national, regional, local).
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Last update: August, 2018
In the area of informationisation of culture, the Ministry of Culture has established a permanent advisory body - the Council of the Minister of Culture for the Informationisation of Culture. The Council will concentrate on the area of informationisation of culture, whose productions are stored and diffused in libraries, museums, galleries, institutions of conservation of the Monument fund, theatre, film, music, literature, visual arts, design and other institutions within and beyond the Department of Culture.
The Council discusses conceptional and strategic materials relating to the informationisation of culture, support for priority information projects from the Ministry of Culture budget and conditions for the participation of individual projects in support programmes related with informationisation (Operation Programme for Informationisation of Society). The subjects of professional activity of the Council in 2007 were chiefly in these areas:
- digitalisation of the contents of the cultural heritage (libraries, museums, galleries, film archives, other archives);
- interoperability of information systems in culture (connection of information systems of organisations within the Ministry of Culture, and connection of culture systems with science and education sectors);
- possibilities for storing digitalised cultural contents and public access to them; and
- the Cultural Profile of Slovakia (internet portal).
In relation to the digitalisation of cultural contents, the Council and the Ministry of Culture, in 2007, concentrated on research into the possibilities of the coordination of digitalisation in the Slovak Republic, and a proposal for a register of standards for digitalisation. In the future, partial digitalisation projects should be submitted to the Council as part of the national project, the Slovak digital library. The Slovak National Library, in Martin in 2007, prepared a working document, Digitalisation Strategy in Slovakia Stratégia digitalizácie na Slovensku, and also an internet site on digitalisation, http://www.viks.sk/digitus/. The programme of digitalisation of cultural contents should also be open to cooperation under a public private partnership.
The basic intention of the process of digitalisation of the cultural and intellectual heritage in Slovakia is to create a network of digitalised workplaces so that digitalisation is decentralised onto the level of specialised competence sectors for the individual areas (libraries, museums, galleries, audiovisual heritage, archives). A strategic intention is the construction of the Slovak digital library, after the model of the European Digital Library in 2010.
In the area of interoperability of information systems, the University Library in Bratislava was authorised to coordinate specialist activities and, in 2006, elaborated a start-up information and methodical document, eCulture - Interoperability of information systems, which includes definitions of the fundamental concepts, the designation of international standards and goals for the interoperability of information systems in culture in Slovakia.
In the area of new technologies in culture, the individual activities in Slovakia concentrated mainly on the usage of these technologies for the conservation, storage and dissemination of cultural heritage. Special support programmes and conception materials for cultural policy, referring to the development and usage of the new technologies in artistic creation, so far do not exist in Slovakia. The individual activities (creation, shows, workshops, festivals) in this area take place on the platform of various artistic groupings, mainly in the environment of visual arts and audiovisual art.
Last update: August, 2018
The European Commission has declared 2008 the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue at the proposal of the Slovak European Commissioner Ján Figeľ. Slovakia has prepared a document the Draft National Strategy of the Slovak Republic for the Implementation of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008. The document states the priorities of the Slovak Republic for the European year of intercultural dialogue 2008. The Ministry of Culture has published a call for projects to be supported in the EYID 2008 project and all information and methodological materials necessary for the submission of projects on its website http://www.mksr.sk. The Ministry of Culture, as the National Coordinating Body for the programme, will monitor projects and the progress of activities related to the implementation of the programme at the national and community level. The Ministry of Culture will ensure implementation of the set national priorities and monitoring of the effective use of funds through regular evaluation reports to be sent to the European Commission in Brussels.
Intercultural dialogue: actors, strategies, programmes
The Ministry of Culture is the national coordinating body for the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008 programme. In 2007, the Ministry elaborated the document Draft Slovak Republic National Strategy for the implementation of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008 (Návrh Národnej stratégie Slovenskej republiky na implementáciu Európskeho roka medzikultúrneho dialógu 2008). The document presents the priorities of the Slovak Republic, which are to.
- achieve an increase of the consciousness of all citizens of Slovakia, with emphasis on young people, to heighten awareness of the importance of intercultural dialogue for mutual coexistence of a multicultural society in the framework of everyday life;
- support education as part of intercultural dialogue at all degrees of schooling, as well as out-of-school and lifelong learning;
- support the media environment in the setting of the principles of intercultural dialogue, mutual familiarity and enrichment, on the basis of the principles of equality and mutual understanding;
- activate and support civic activities leading to the implementation of cultural dialogue, secure the continuity of these activities from the long-term standpoint;
- support all activities leading to the contribution of various cultures for the development of cultural diversity and lifestyle within SR;
- to appoint a known figure as SR ambassador for intercultural dialogue; and
- map out and assess "good practice" and good experience from past years, which supported intercultural dialogue, and prepare a complex study dedicated to the given area.
In the document, it is shown that the Slovak Republic continually creates the conditions for the support of cultural dialogue. From public sources, it secures broadcasting in the languages of minorities, supports minority press, and legislatively provides for the usage of the language of minorities in the cultural and social sector, including official relations.
The European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008 programme also includes, in its priorities, several bodies on the level of the self-administration regions, which have declared their support for the individual projects in the form of co-financing. The execution of the individual projects within the programme can lead to a more intensive perception of the concept of intercultural dialogue in the Slovak cultural and social context, and open up space for discussion of the contents of this concept in the context of cultural policy and culturological reflections.
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Last update: August, 2018
The media system in the Slovak Republic has gradually changed since 1989 so that the plurality of media and the diversity of its contents have been assured. For the electronic media sector, an independent regulatory body was established - Council for Broadcast and Retransmission. Its members are elected by the National Council of the Slovak Republic. The telecommunications area is regulated by the Telecommunications Office SR, established pursuant to Act no. 195/2000 Coll. on Telecommunications. Its chairman is elected on a proposal by the SR National Council.
The preparation of laws for the area of the media is the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture, which has established an advisory body for the area of the media - The Council of the Minister of Culture for the Mass-media.
The press is not under any regulation, with the exception of the regulation of advertising pursuant to the Law on Advertising. Supervisory bodies include the Slovak Agricultural and Foodstuffs Inspection (advertisements on foods, cosmetic devices and tobacco products), The State Institute for the Control of Medicines (advertisements of medicines and nursing preparations) and the Slovak Trade Inspection. The Ministry of Culture keeps records of press periodicals and their publishers.
Issues of concentration and economic competition are investigated by the Anti-monopoly Office, pursuant to Act no. 136/2001 Coll. on the Protection of Economic Competition. Dominant positions are not forbidden in the media, and the Office only investigates its potential abuse.
In the area of print materials and press agencies, there are no obligations towards the public in relation to the publication of ownership relations of the individual publishers, nor any regulation in relation to concentration (with the exception of general conditions of concentration pursuant to the Act on Economic Competition). Act no. 308/2000 Coll. on Broadcasting and Retransmission has set restrictions on ownership in the media for so-called cross ownership of press and electronic media. In the case of broadcasters, these obligations are regulated and controlled by the Council for Broadcasting and Retransmission. The issue of the print media will be resolved by the new Press Act, the draft of which was presented by the Ministry of Culture in 2007 for specialist discussion and for the legislative process.
In 2007, there were 111 holders of licences for television broadcasting in the Slovak Republic (in the categories multi-regional monothematic broadcasting, multi-regional full format broadcasting, regional broadcasting, and local broadcasting).
Public service broadcasters are set by law - Slovenský rozhlas (Slovak Radio) with five terrestrial programme circuits and Slovenská televízia (Slovak Television) with two terrestrial circuits.
The largest private television broadcasters (private channels), on the basis of licences for multi-regional full format broadcasting, are TV Markíza and TV JOJ. The licence-holder for TV Markíza is the Markíza - Slovakia company. Its licence is valid until 13 September 2019. The owners of the company are CME Slovak Holdings B.V., A.R.J. company, a.s. (controlled by multi-national holding, CME), and the Slovak company Media Invest has a minority share. The licence-holder for TV JOJ is the MAC TV company, s.r.o., whose only owner is the Slovak shareholding company J&T Media Enterprises, which is united with the investment group, J&T Finance Group. Their licence runs until 27 January 2018.
In multi-regional monothematic television broadcasting, the most significant broadcaster is the news channel, TA3. The holder of the licence for its broadcasting is the C.E.N. company s r.o., whose only owner is the Slovak investment group, Grafobal Group, a.s. Among monothematic television stations are two music stations (Music Box and Mooby TV). Thematic stations oriented to culture or artistic content at present do not exist in Slovakia.
In 2007, there were a total of 31 holders of licences for multiregional, regional or local radio broadcasting, and 159 holders of licences for executing retransmission in cable networks or by means of other technologies.
Each year, the Ministry of Culture compiles statistics on television and radio broadcasting in the Slovak Republic. According to these statistics, in 2006 the share of imported programmes on multiregional television amounted to 22.5%, and the share of domestic programmes was 77.5% (news, current affairs etc.). In dramatic programmes (films and serials) this share is quite different - imported programmes make up 97% of the total volume. The broadcasting of music and entertainment programmes is more balanced, 47:53 in favour of domestic production. In public Slovak television broadcasting, the total share of imported and domestic programmes for 2006 showed a breakdown of 45% (foreign programmes) a 55% (domestic programmes). However, in STV broadcasting, imported programmes had the greatest share in the drama programme segment (88%).
Current discussion in the area of culture in 2007 mainly concerned issues related to a new proposal of the Press Act (protection of sources and information, right to remedy, right to a response, the obligation of the public media to provide information, the responsibility of publishers for content). The new Press Act should replace the present, still valid legal regulation which was adopted back in 1966.
Over the last decade in Slovakia, there has been continuous discussion of issues surrounding the status, management, financing and programme of the public media - Slovak Radio and Slovak Television. The current discussions, in 2007, referred mainly to the system of financing these media, the optimisation of their infrastructures, and their position in the process of digitisation of television broadcasting. The intention of the Ministry of Culture in this area is to prepare the draft of a contract between the state and the public media on the contents and financial provision of the public service in television and radio broadcasting.
Last update: August, 2018
The state language on the territory of the Slovak Republic is the Slovak language. The issue of using the state language and other languages is resolved by the Constitution. The usage of the Slovak language is regulated by Act no. 270/1995 Coll. on the State Language of the Slovak Republic. Other languages used in Slovakia are the national minority languages - Hungarian, Ruthenian, Ukrainian, Romany, Croatian, and possibly other minority languages. The use of the languages of the national minorities is regulated by special legal regulations (see chapter 2.6).
If citizens of the Slovak Republic belonging to national minorities make up, according to the latest census of the population of a community, at least 20% of its inhabitants, they may use the language of that minority in official relations.
A priority of the Ministry of Culture is to secure the conservation and development of the state language as a spiritual part of the national cultural heritage. In compliance with the document Conception of Care of the State Language of the Slovak Republic (approved by the government in 2001), the Ministry of Culture monitors the usage of the Slovak language in public relations; in particular, it provides an official standpoint on the language issue and implements conceptional, methodical, consultation and control activities. In this field, the Ministry of Culture formed an inter-ministerial expert commission with the participation of representatives of other ministries and the Slovak Academy of Sciences, (SAV).
The Ministry of Culture, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the Slovak Academy of Sciences, has elaborated a proposal for the project National Corpus of the Slovak Language and the Project of Electronisation of Linguistic Research(approved by the government in 2002). In June 2006, a contract was concluded on cooperation between the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education and the Slovak Academy of Sciences with the goal of building up the Slovak state language corpus. In 2004, an agreement was concluded between SAV, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education on common funding for a multi-volume interpretive Slovník súÄasného slovenského jazyka (Dictionary of Contemporary Slovak Language). The first volume (A - G) was published in 2006.
A consultation body for the Minister of Culture in the area of the state language is the Central Language Council (founded in 1996). Its task is chiefly:
- to monitor observance of the Law on the State Language;
- to propose measures for the conservation and scientific research into the Slovak national language;
- to consider proposals for principle changes of the codified form of the state language, and to provide specialist viewpoints in conflictive questions on its usage; and
- to coordinate the work of the terminology commission at central state administration bodies and to initiate the publishing of linguistic literature.
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Last update: August, 2018
The number of inhabitants of the Slovak Republic in 2007 was 5 396 168.
Table 1: Population of the Slovak Republic according to nationality, 2007
| Nationality | % of total |
|---|---|
| Slovak | 85.8 |
| Hungarian | 9.7 |
| Roma | 1.7 |
| Czech | 0.8 |
| Ruthenian | 0.4 |
| Ukrainian | 0.2 |
| Others and undetermined | 1.4 |
Source: Statistics Office SR, according to census of population, houses and flats in 2001.
Geographically, the structure of the population according to nationality is naturally separated, especially in those parts lying adjacent to neighbouring countries. The Hungarian minority is most represented in those districts in southern Slovakia near the border with the Hungarian Republic; the Ukrainian, Ruthenian and Roma minorities in eastern Slovakia; and the Czech minority in the capital, Bratislava, and in those western Slovakia districts lying adjacent to the Czech Republic border.
The structure of the population according to nationality and the geographic distribution of the national minorities is the result of the natural historical / social process of the formation of the population of the Slovak Republic.
The rights of national minorities are guaranteed by the Constitution of the Slovak Republic, and citizens cannot be discriminated against for allegiance to any national minority or ethnic group. According to the SR Constitution, inhabitants of a national minority or ethnic group in the Slovak Republic have guarantees for their development, in particular the right, together with other members of the minority or group, to expand their culture, the right to broadcast and receive information in their native language, to unite in national associations, to establish and maintain educational and cultural institutions.
The SR Constitution guarantees the following rights to citizens belonging to national minorities or ethnic groups:
- the right to master the national language;
- the right to education in the language of the minority;
- the right to use the minority language in official relations; and
- the right to participate in the resolution of matters affecting national minorities and ethnic groups.
These basic civil rights of citizens of national minorities or ethnic groups are further elaborated in these laws:
- Act no. 184/1999 Coll. on the Use of the Language of National Minorities; and
- Act no. 191/1994 Coll. on Designation of Communities in the Language of National Minorities.
In the implementation of minority rights and in the performance of its minority policy, the Slovak Republic is also bound by the relevant international documents and agreements in this area (UNESCO, Council of Europe, European Union).
In the Slovak Republic, apart from many national cultural associations, several cultural institutions of national minorities are also active:
- Hungarian artistic ensemble Ifjú szivek - Young Hearts;
- Jókaiho theatre - Hungarian National Theatre in Komárno;
- Divadlo Thália - Hungarian National Theatre in Košice;
- Divadlo Alexandra Duchnoviča - Ruthenian National Theatre in Prešov;
- Divadlo Romathan - Roma National Theatre in Košice;
- Museum of Croatian Culture at the Slovak National Museum (SNM);
- Museum of Czech Culture at SNM in Martin;
- Museum of Culture of Carpathian Germans at SNM in Bratislava;
- Museum of Culture of Hungarians in Slovakia;
- Museum of Roma Culture at SNM in Martin; and
- Museum of Ukrainian-Ruthenian Culture in Svidník.
National minorities also have their regular programmes in the public media. In 2006, on Slovak television, the share of programmes in the languages of national minorities was about 1.3%, while on Slovak Radio the share of programmes was about 7.6% of the total volume of broadcasting. The share of programmes in the languages of national minorities, in the total volume of television broadcasting of all broadcasters in the Slovak Republic in 2006, was about 3.7%.
Since 2006, the Ministry of Culture has had a separate grant programme for the support of cultural activities and projects for national minorities. 87.6 million SKK (about 2 561 403 euro) was set aside for this programme in the 2007 budget, which represents about 17.9% of the budget of the entire MC SR grant programme for 2007.
Last update: August, 2018
Cultural policy in Slovakia is concentrated on the development of the cultural needs of disadvantaged population groups. The Ministry of Culture creates the conditions for the financial support of the culture of disadvantaged social groups, provides space for equality of opportunity in the area of the culture of health disabled citizens, disadvantaged children and youth, the equality of men and women, and senior citizens. It also creates the conditions for the availability of culture and the support of integration through cultural mechanisms for the marginalised Roma community, migrants, the homeless, and so on.
The Slovak Republic has committed itself to the fulfilment of the Lisbon strategy of 2004 by the approval of the strategic document National Action Plan for Social Inclusion. It also elaborates measures for the Ministry of Culture, which are to secure the development of care for the cultural needs of disadvantaged social groups.
On 1 July 2004, The Slovak Republic National Council passed Act no. 365/2004 Coll. on Equal Treatment in Certain Areas, and on Protection against Discrimination ("Anti-discrimination Act"). Thus, discrimination in Slovakia is forbidden for these reasons: sex, racial origin, national or ethnic origin, religious denomination or belief, health disabilities, age, and sexual orientation.
The priorities for the development of the cultural needs of disadvantaged social groups are in particular to:
- create the conditions for easing access to cultural values for disadvantaged social groups;
- define categories of disadvantaged social groups, determine the nature of their cultural needs on the basis of more difficult access to culture, and also from the standpoint of the special nature of their cultural needs;
- analyse the cultural needs of disadvantaged social groups and determine the possibilities for their development;
- create the conditions for the support of permanent sustainability of institutions developing the culture of disadvantaged social groups;
- support the creation of specific cultural values of disadvantaged social groups; and
- perceive culture as an integrating mechanism, joining the culture of the minority with that of the majority, and approach culture as a system functioning on the universal principle of equality in diversity.
To execute these priorities, the Ministry of Culture created a separate grant programme, which is oriented towards support for so-called live culture and to the publishing of periodical and non-periodical press on issues of interest to socially disadvantaged groups. Six million SKK (about 175 438 euro) was allocated for this programme in the 2007 budget, which represents about 1.2% of the entire grant system budget for 2007.
Part of the cultural programme in the area of socially disadvantaged groups is the determination of the legal obligation of public Slovak television to ensure, in its programming, at least 25% of all programmes with hidden or open subtitles, and at least 1% of the programmes on one broadcasting circuit with sign language for the deaf (§ 18, para. 2 of Act no. 308/2000 Coll. on Broadcasting and Retransmission, in the wording of later regulations).
Working out social cohesion with relation to cultural policy and formulating a programme for implementing social cohesion in cultural practice represents one of the challenges for the next period of formulating the priorities and tasks of the Slovak Republic's social policy.
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