In the Rada, they want to expand the list of officials who must mandatorily speak Ukrainian

In the Rada, they want to expand the list of officials who must mandatorily speak Ukrainian

Deputies propose that the Verkhovna Rada amend the law “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language,” in particular by expanding the circle of persons obliged to master Ukrainian and use it in the performance of their official duties.

According to the explanatory note to the draft law No. 15412 of July 15, the document was developed taking into account seven years of practice in applying the law; a special working group worked on it with the participation of people’s deputies, representatives of state authorities, the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, public organizations, and experts in the field of language policy.

In particular, among the proposed changes is the expansion of the circle of persons obliged to master the state language and use it in the performance of their official duties. This requirement applies, among others, to people’s deputies of Ukraine, heads of state scientific institutions and state cultural institutions, private enforcement officers, insolvency practitioners, auditors, and other persons.

In addition, it is proposed to: strengthen the protection of the right to the Ukrainian language in the sphere of labor, in particular by guaranteeing it already at the stage of hiring, and not only after the conclusion of employment relations; establish requirements for the compliance of official documents with the standards of the state language; improve the mechanisms of state control and certain procedures for handling complaints.

“The Law on the State Language has repeatedly proven its effectiveness. It has stood the test of time, and after the start of the full-scale war it became one of the important tools for strengthening Ukrainian identity and national resilience. That is why today it is natural to speak not about changing its philosophy, but about its development and improvement — taking into account the practice accumulated over seven years of its operation,” the press service quotes Language Ombudsman Olena Ivanovska as saying.

According to her, the experience accumulated over seven years of the law’s operation makes it possible to improve certain provisions, strengthen guarantees for the protection of the state language, and eliminate shortcomings identified by practice.

The authors of the draft law are the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy Mykyta Poturayev (Servant of the People faction) and 62 other parliamentarians.