By KYIV. Nov 30 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language Taras Kremen has submitted to the Verkhovna Rada his conclusions and proposals on bill No. 10288 amending the rights of national minorities, taking into account the recommendations of the Venice Commission.
“The Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language has officially submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine his conclusions and proposals on the draft law amending some laws of Ukraine, taking into account the expert assessment of the Council of Europe and its bodies on the rights of national minorities (communities) in certain areas (No. 10288 dated November 24, 2023),” the press service of the Language Ombudsman said.
In particular, according to Kremen, despite European integration obligations, the bill narrows the use of Ukrainian as the state language in public life spheres.
“Taking this into account, the document requires improvement and consideration of the reasonable proposals of the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language regarding the language of the media, publishing business, education, advertising, and elections,” it said.
The proposals of the Language Ombudsman are available at the link: https://mova-ombudsman.gov.ua/storage/app/sites/14/10288.pdf
As reported, the Cabinet of Ministers proposes the Verkhovna Rada to amend laws regarding the rights of national minorities, taking into account the recommendations of the Venice Commission. The bill proposes to consolidate the right of private higher education institutions to choose the language of instruction, which is the official language of the European Union, while ensuring the study of the state language as a separate academic discipline.
Amendments to the law on media propose to stipulate the specifics of the use of languages of national minorities (communities) in the field of audiovisual media, in particular, “the state (official) language of the state recognized by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine as an aggressor state or an occupier state.” The bill also provides for changes to the law on publishing, which establish the conditions for the operation of specialized bookstores created to implement the rights of national minorities (communities). The document also proposes to grant the right to distribute election campaign materials in the languages of the relevant indigenous peoples and national minorities.
At the same time, Ukrainian public organizations call on the authorities not to weaken the mechanisms for protecting the state language under the pretext of European integration, as stated in a joint statement dated November 20.
