Government Approves Increased Contribution to International Visegrad Fund

Bratislava, October 15 (TASR) - From 2025, Slovakia will contribute €250,000 more to the International Visegrad Fund than before, with the increase in the contribution to €2,750,000 approved by the government on Tuesday. The increase in the total budget of the Fund from €10 million to €11 million was initiated by the Czech Presidency of the Visegrad Group. The Foreign Affairs Ministry explained that the increase in the overall budget and the equal contributions of all the Visegrad Group (V4) countries is a response to the increase in the scope of the Fund's activities as well as to changed economic conditions. The increase in the budget is intended to avoid the risk of cutting new and existing programmes, while ensuring the institution's viability in the face of inflationary expenditure increases. The Fund is used to provide grants, scholarships and residency programmes in the fields of culture, science, research, education, exchange of artists and young people, as well as projects to promote cross-border cooperation and tourism development. zel/mcs