Slovakia faces loss of up to €35 million EU youth funds over LGBT‑plus grant dispute

The European Commission has warned the Slovak government that it could forfeit up to €35 million in EU youth programme funding after the National Institute of Education and Youth withheld a €120,000 grant awarded to Saplinq, an NGO supporting LGBT‑plus youth. Emails obtained by the press show the suspension was carried out on the instruction of Education Minister Tomáš Drucker because the project involved LGBT‑plus issues, despite the institute citing missing contract attachments as a technical reason. The Commission gave Slovakia until the following week to explain the delay and signaled that it may open formal proceedings and reduce the country’s overall EU contribution to programmes such as Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps. The episode reflects broader tensions in Slovakia under Prime Minister Robert Fico, whose government has resisted same‑sex partnership recognition and has introduced constitutional amendments limiting family definitions, contrary to recent EU Court rulings on same‑sex marriage recognition.