On 13 October 2026 the Ministry of Culture announced the start of a review of memoranda and cooperation agreements with major cultural bodies, which include the festivals in Karlovy Vary and Prague Spring.
The Ministry of Culture said on Facebook on 13 October 2026 that it is starting a review of existing memoranda and cooperation agreements with major cultural bodies. According to the ministry, the aim is to assess their scope, purposefulness and benefits and to set them up so that they correspond to the priorities of the State Cultural Policy for 2026 to 2029.[1][2]
The review concerns, among others, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and the International Music Festival Prague Spring. According to Novinky.cz, the ministry stressed that this is not about ending cooperation but about setting it up more purposefully. According to the office, Prague Spring joined the discussion and submitted its own proposals for the further development of cooperation.[1]
The spokesperson of the Karlovy Vary festival, Uljana Donátová, said that the festival has long met the conditions of the existing memoranda and that the ministry's support does not exceed 20 percent of its total budget. In her words, the festival expects to keep meeting the conditions and wants to take part with the ministry in shaping the memorandum.[1]
In 2026 the Ministry of Culture reduced support for a number of cultural events, including festivals. Marek Hovorka, director of the Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival, told Novinky that state support for this year's edition fell by two million crowns, while the festival's budget is roughly between 25 and 30 million crowns. The ministry announced the call for grant applications for the following year on Monday 12 October 2026.[1] The ministry originally wanted to cancel the Česká knihovna project, but for this year it ultimately renewed it with half the budget.[1]
Related articles: Karlovy Vary, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Ministry of Culture, Oto Klempíř, Prague Spring
Chronology
- — On 13 October 2026 the Ministry of Culture announced on Facebook the start of a review of memoranda and cooperation agreements with major cultural bodies, including the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and the Prague Spring International Music Festival. Novinky.cz ČT24
Sources
- Novinky.cz — 13 October 2026
- ČT24 — 13 October 2026