The Slovak Republic and the European Union have committed to applying all human rights and fundamental freedoms also in the case of persons with disabilities by ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. One of the rights of persons with disabilities is the right to an independent life, which is conditioned by the accessibility of the architectural environment, transport, information, goods and services. Paragraph 1 of Article 9 "Accessibility" of the Convention states: "To enable persons with disabilities to live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life, States Parties shall take appropriate measures to ensure to persons with disabilities access, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, to information and communications, including information and communications technologies and systems, and to other facilities and services open or provided to the public, both in urban and in rural areas."
However, it should be noted that debarierisation, which means the practical implementation of this accessibility, is sometimes understood, also in the context of urban or rural environments, very broadly as the removal of any obstacles in the accessibility of services for various marginalized groups. In such a case, it includes, for example, the removal of educational barriers, simplification of administrative procedures, general improvement of service accessibility, etc. On the other hand, it is sometimes understood very narrowly – most often as the removal of architectural barriers for wheelchair users, possibly also for other persons with mobility limitations. In such cases, debarierisation is identified with the construction of access ramps, or the installation of elevators, etc.
We will attempt a compromise and will focus on the removal of architectural and communication barriers for persons with physical and sensory (visual and hearing) limitations, which can also include persons with limitations acquired during their lifetime. By doing so, we will also include a significant part of seniors, who, due to changes in their bodies, also experience limitations in their physical and sensory abilities: they use aids that facilitate or even replace the functionality of lower limbs, hearing aids, glasses, etc. However, the focus of our interest will be the removal of architectural and information barriers for persons with disabilities.
The legal framework for municipalities in this area is only very general. The Act on Municipal Establishment No. 369/1990 Coll., in § 4 para. 3 letter h), imposes on municipalities, in the exercise of their self-government, only the general task of creating and protecting healthy conditions and a healthy way of life and work for the inhabitants of the municipality.
Municipalities have a slightly broader scope within the so-called delegated performance of state administration by municipalities according to § 5 of this Act. Municipalities perform the function of a first-instance building authority on behalf of the state. The new Building Act No. 25/2025 Coll. contains the issue of debarierisation, although not as a separate chapter, but as part of broader requirements for buildings and their technical solutions. The text of the act is also only framework and refers to implementing regulations that specify concrete technical standards. Such an implementing regulation is Decree No. 532/2002 Coll. of the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic, the fourth part of which contains general technical requirements for buildings used by persons with limited ability to move and orient themselves. According to § 56 of this decree, these are requirements that apply to buildings of apartment houses, especially apartments and family houses of "special purpose" (for persons with limited ability to move and orient themselves), but also to non-residential buildings and engineering structures intended for public use, buildings in which persons with limited ability to move and orient themselves will be employed, etc. The following § 57, for example, states: (1) Access to each building listed in § 56 must be ensured by at least one entrance at the level of the pedestrian communication without leveling steps; for new buildings, the main entrance must be designed in this way. Access to each building listed in § 56 must also be marked for a person with visual impairment by touch, in exceptional cases also by sound. (2) If the entrance cannot be ensured according to paragraph 1, the leveling must be solved by a ramp, a stair platform or an external elevator according to the annex point 1. Further provisions of this part of the decree then regulate various other technical details.
In this way, the municipality has a direct impact on the debarierisation of all buildings and spaces about which it decides as a first-instance building authority. However, it does not have an impact on buildings where the building permit is decided by another authority, for example a regional office or a special building authority (according to the second part of the Building Act No. 25/2025 Coll.), i.e., when it concerns, for example, the construction of military and other special facilities, even if they are located on the territory of the municipality.
However, neither the act nor the decree imposes an obligation to debarierise existing buildings.
Of course, this legislation also applies to the municipality itself when it carries out new construction of any building according to § 56 of the decree as a builder, whether it concerns buildings of municipal administration, various service facilities, culture, etc., which the municipality establishes within its original self-governing competence (i.e., for example, also municipal social service facilities, kindergartens, primary art schools, cultural and sports facilities, etc.). All activities falling within the scope of self-governing competence are paid for by the municipality from its own budget and own revenues.
These activities are often financially demanding, and for small municipalities (two-thirds of municipalities in Slovakia have fewer than 1000 inhabitants), opportunities to obtain resources from the state budget are welcome, but the municipality is not entitled to them and it depends on the decision of the relevant ministry whether to provide such resources.
At the same time, according to § 6 para. 1 of Act No. 596/2003 Coll. on State Administration in Education and School Self-Government, the municipality is the founder of the primary school, but unlike kindergartens, it operates under the regime of delegated performance of state administration. According to para. 3, letter d), it ensures the education and training of children and pupils with special educational needs in schools and school facilities of which it is the founder, which implies a requirement for barrier-free access to these facilities. However, the law states in para. 14 that care for the buildings in which the primary school is located is, nevertheless, a matter of the self-governing competence of the municipality. The municipality should therefore carry out the debarierisation of all school buildings – as in the case of kindergartens – from its own resources.
Although the state sporadically creates opportunities for providing certain resources for the removal of barriers in primary and nursery schools, it does so only irregularly and unsystematically. In the past (2014–2020), for example, the Integrated Regional Operational Programme (IROP) was in place, which included calls for improving primary school infrastructure. These allowed for the inclusion of accessibility features (e.g., lifts, ramps). However, it was not a separate programme for barrier removal, but part of broader renovations. Later, within the Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Slovak Republic, Component 6 – Accessibility, Development and Quality of Inclusive Education was in operation. Its aim was to remove architectural barriers in schools (lifts, ramps, modifications to toilets, entrances, interior spaces). The call 06I01-20-V01 for 2022–2025 concerned "larger secondary schools" (where municipalities are not the founders), but ultimately also covered larger primary schools (i.e., primarily urban, not rural ones), provided they met, for example, the condition that they already educated at least one pupil with a disability. Such an approach assumes that a pupil with a disability must first be admitted and educated in a barrier environment, and that the removal of barriers can only occur subsequently. This criterion de facto prevented schools from automatically preparing for the education of such pupils in advance. Currently, however, no calls are being published that would allow for the removal of barriers in primary and nursery school buildings. Moreover, even in official documents of the Ministry of Education regarding the removal of barriers in schools and school facilities, transnational resources and the state budget (together with municipal budgets, private and foundation resources) are cited as resource potentials for barrier removal.
A similar situation exists in the case of cultural facilities founded by a municipality, or cultural monuments owned by a municipality. In 2021, the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic piloted a new sub-programme, Physical Barrier Removal, within the grant programme Culture of Disadvantaged Groups, where support is focused on eliminating physical barriers and promoting the accessibility of cultural infrastructure and cultural heritage sites (e.g., barrier-free entrances, barrier-free platforms and lifts, barrier-free sanitary facilities, tactile guiding lines, orientation signs in Braille, etc.). In 2021, municipalities and organisations within their founding scope could also apply for a grant. In 2022, a separate sub-programme, Information Barrier Removal, was added, focused on eliminating information barriers (e.g., digitisation or other new technologies, use of QR codes; labels in Braille; interactive exhibits and labels; tactile exhibits – 3D exhibits, artefacts or copies of collection items, maps, paintings, 3D models; audio commentaries for persons with visual impairments and video commentaries for persons with hearing impairments; captioning devices, interpretation into Slovak Sign Language; introduction of audio-frequency loop amplification systems in concert halls, theatres and cinemas, designated seats with barrier-free access, etc.). However, this sub-programme is currently not continuing. Nevertheless, for example, the city of Bratislava has presented an ambitious concept for the sustainable development of culture, Bratislava 2030, which also includes intentions regarding the removal of barriers in a whole range of museums, theatres, galleries and other municipal cultural institutions.
In the case of national cultural monuments, of which over 10,000 are registered in Slovakia, according to Act No. 49/2002 Coll. on the Protection of the Monument Fund, their owner is responsible for their protection at their own expense. Approximately 10–15% of these monuments are owned by municipalities, which can also draw resources for their potential barrier removal. This includes, for example, grants from the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic. Within the programme Let's Renovate Our Home, the ministry provides grants for the renovation and restoration of national cultural monuments. A municipality as the owner can apply according to § 34 para. 1 of the aforementioned Act, including modifications that constitute barrier removal. The problem, however, is that co-financing from this source constitutes only 5–20% of the project budget. Depending on current calls, it is sometimes possible to additionally use other resources, in the past, for example, the aforementioned IROP, currently, for example, the Slovakia Programme 2021–2027, which also brings thematic calls for culture, tourism and public infrastructure. The Ministry of Culture has meanwhile set criteria for barrier removal that the applicant for resources must respect in projects concerning the renovation of national cultural monuments.
Municipalities sometimes also use the INTERREG programme for this purpose, which supports cross-border projects (e.g., Poland–Slovakia), which often include the renovation and opening up of monuments. A significant partner for municipalities in the barrier removal of cultural monuments they own can also be the Monuments Board of the Slovak Republic, which operates a system of preventive maintenance of monuments called Pro Monumenta and creates a sustainable system of state aid. This involves monitoring the condition of monument objects, but also providing methodological assistance in their maintenance and barrier removal, which is often lacking in other sectors. At the same time, municipalities can thus access the so-called Norwegian Grants (EEA and Norway Grants) for these tasks, which are also a significant source for the renovation and potentially for the barrier removal of cultural monuments in municipalities.
The state of barrier removal is somewhat better for cultural objects owned by the state or higher territorial units. Open-air museums and some significant castles are most often owned by the state (through the Slovak National Museum). Castles and chateaux are often owned by higher territorial units or cities: their barrier removal is, however, extremely challenging not only financially but also technically, as they are usually located in difficult-to-access terrain. For example, Ľubovňa Castle, which is exemplary in terms of barrier removal not only for the blind and deaf, but also for people with autism, etc., remains only partially accessible for wheelchair users.
Church buildings in municipalities currently most often have at least the main nave accessible for wheelchair users, but even this is only in a fraction of the buildings. The accessibility of buildings, as well as services, for other groups of persons with sensory impairments still occurs only very infrequently.
When it comes to the removal of barriers in sports and recreational facilities, the Sports Support Fund regularly announces calls for the construction, reconstruction and modernization of sports infrastructure, in which the removal of barriers is an eligible expense. A municipality may also be an applicant for a subsidy. The purpose may be the reconstruction of sports halls, gymnasiums, stadiums, swimming pools, the construction of new sports grounds, but also their adaptation for barrier-free access and use (not only by athletes, but also by spectators), if it involves the modernization of a facility. In 2025, the Ministry of Tourism and Sport announced a call for municipalities with up to 3,000 inhabitants for the renovation and construction of sports grounds. Although the call was not specifically focused on accessibility, the reconstruction of sports grounds may also include the removal of barriers.
Municipalities can also obtain resources for barrier removal projects from other foundations (for example, from the Pontis Foundation). The KIA Foundation, for example, is implementing a grant call in 2026, Inspiration through Movement 2026, focused on supporting inclusion in sport and improving the accessibility of sports activities for everyone, which includes the construction and renovation of inclusive (i.e., barrier-free) elements of sports infrastructure. Applicants could also be towns and municipalities in the Žilina region, and the grant amount could reach up to €35,000.
However, the most sensitive area is the removal of barriers in social services facilities, which most often serve persons with various physical, sensory and mental limitations, including seniors. According to § 3 par. 3 letter a) point 1 of Act No. 448/2008 Coll. on social services, the municipality is a provider of social services within its self-governing, i.e., so-called original competencies. Again, this means that they should cover the costs associated with performing these tasks from their own revenues within their own budget – and here we encounter limited resource possibilities, especially for small municipalities. The removal of barriers in facilities where these services are provided in municipalities would thus become unaffordable, but even here there are certain sources of funding for projects to remove barriers in social services facilities established by municipalities. Currently, the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family provides subsidies based on Act No. 544/2010 Coll. on subsidies within the competence of the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic, where a municipality can also be an applicant for the support of the development of social services and the implementation of measures for the social and legal protection of children and social curatorship. However, substantively, they are limited only to creating a barrier-free environment and purchasing technical equipment to improve the handling of individuals with limited mobility. The problematic aspect here is the narrow understanding of barrier removal. Even older methodological guides (from 10 or more years ago) focused, for example, only on architectural barriers, and only newer methodologies address the removal of barriers for persons with sensory limitations in social services facilities.
Even more significant compared to the above-mentioned facilities is that barrier removal measures can be implemented in municipalities where the municipality is the owner of these facilities. There is a whole range of opportunities where almost every municipality, even the smallest one, has the possibility to implement such measures. This concerns the removal of barriers in public buildings, public spaces and public roads in the municipality. Primarily, this involves pedestrian paths, pedestrian crossings, public transport stops, parking spaces, public toilets, etc. Today, well-processed and accessible methodological materials are available; the financial demands are not always high; implementation using the municipality's own technical capacities is often possible, etc. Although cooperation with state authorities is sometimes necessary (for example, regarding traffic information systems for persons with hearing impairments and overall solutions for supra-municipal transport infrastructure).
Thus, to obtain resources for the removal of barriers in various facilities they own, municipalities generally must use various external sources. Often, there is an explicit requirement that submitting projects to various calls is conditional on the municipality having prepared a broader conceptual document in which the issue of barrier removal is embedded. In practice, this most often involves the municipality's economic and social development programs, which are currently a standard tool of municipal policy in Slovakia and which often include the task of removing barriers in social services facilities (e.g., Chorvátsky Grob 2024-2030). We consider this type of document more suitable for a comprehensive approach, which opens space not only for the removal of barriers in school or cultural facilities, but also for the removal of barriers in related (and other) public spaces: sidewalks, town halls, etc. (Žilina 2025).
Regarding community social services, municipalities include barrier removal in specific community plans for social services. However, the methodology for their preparation directly states that emphasis must be placed on creating barrier-free infrastructure as well as removing barriers in the environment, including schools and other facilities for the general public, which municipalities reflect in these plans through measures in the form of creating barrier-free access to public, cultural and other institutions in the municipality and removing barriers in key public spaces and municipal roads (Zvolen 2009, Liptovský Mikuláš 2010, Bátorove Kosihy 2017, Rimavská Baňa 2017, Slavec 2018, Brusno 2018, Modrany 2018, Iža 2018, etc.), but sometimes only to the removal of barriers in social services (Šamorín 2021, etc.). Despite the assumption of multi-source financing (grant resources, EU funds, municipal budget, etc.), these plans often fail to be implemented precisely due to a lack of resources, even though other municipalities succeed (Smižany 2020).
In the past, the Oskar bez bariér (Oskar Without Barriers) competition was also motivating for municipalities in this regard. It was announced from 2003 to 2018 by the Association of Towns and Municipalities of Slovakia (ZMOS) under the auspices of the Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic. The competition was focused on awarding towns and municipalities that removed not only architectural barriers, but also interpersonal ones. It was an award for local governments that, through various activities, both short-term and long-term projects, made life easier for all citizens, especially the disabled. The competition itself, as well as knowledge of good practice examples in the field of social affairs, already contributed to increasing the quality of local and community life. Local governments entered their one-time activities as well as long-term projects from several areas – for example, social services, social and legal protection, crisis intervention, or activities focused on field social and community assistance. The selection committee awarded local governments in categories of municipalities up to 5,000 inhabitants and over 5,000 inhabitants. However, ZMOS has not continued this activity for quite some time. Meanwhile, the European Commission, in cooperation with the European Disability Forum, has been organizing the Access City Award competition since 2010. Its aim is to recognize the efforts of EU cities that prioritize accessibility for persons with disabilities.
Debarierisation in its implementation phase within the competence of towns and municipalities thus encounters a whole range of subjective as well as objective obstacles, especially the lack of own financial resources of municipalities, unstable and insufficient financial support from the state, often also the absence of quality methodological support, etc. These factors are thus also reflected in the decision-making processes of city or municipal authorities, where there is a lack of sufficient support for debarierisation. This was the case, for example, in the town of Pezinok. It concerned an elevator in the Old Town Hall, which is also a national cultural monument – however, the municipal council deputies did not approve its debarierisation as a public building. Nevertheless, especially larger cities (Trnava, Nitra, Bratislava, etc.) show that there is enough will in their political thinking and in the decision-making of their bodies to also promote the ideas of debarierisation.
Author: doc. PhDr. Ing. Stanislav Konečný, PhD. MPA
Department of Public Policy and Theory of Public Administration, Faculty of Public Administration, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
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