New Latvian language law to be adopted on the eve of elections

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From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1998 15:18:57 +0300 (EET DST)
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Subject: New Latvian language law to be adopted on the eve of elections

From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>

New Latvian language law to be adopted on the eve of
elections


As Latvian media announced yesterday, the Cooperation council of the
ruling parties decided to adopt the new State Language law in the
third (final) reading at the extraordinary session of the Parliament
on September 28. Initially, it was planned to consider the law in the
final reading after the parliamentary elections (October 3). The
official reason for changing the date was "several electors' letters
demanding to adopt the law as soon as possible". 

The new draft Language law was severely criticized by the experts and
official representatives of the OSCE High Commissioner on National
Minorities and the Council of Europe. The main points of criticism
were the following: 

- mandatory usage of the state language in internal communications (eg
working meetings) in the private enterprises and organizations; 

- gradual elimination of secondary education in all languages but the
state one, as well as drastic reduction of the number of lessons
taught in the minority languages in primary schools; 

- the clause stipulating that the state and municipal institutions
accept residents' applications and complaints only if they are written
in the state language, and if all enclosed documents are provided with
the translation to the state language sertified by a notary (with the
exception for documents issued in Latvia after 1992 but prior to this
law's taking effect); 

- mandatory usage of the state language at all "public events"; 

- several clauses related to languages of movies demonstration and TV
broadcasts. 

Latvian newspapers report that the latest recommendations of the OSCE
High Commissioner "reveal some concessions" made (though, frankly, I
don't see any serious changes in comparison with the previous
recommendations). Chairman of the Parliamentary commission on
education, science and culture, Mr Dzintars Abikis, told to the press
that he managed to persuade Mr van der Stoel that application of the
general demands in the case of Latvia with its unique situation would
be ill-based, and that the commission is not inclined to take into
account all recommendations received from the European
institutions.       

Simply speaking, one should expect that on the eve of the elections
the law will be adopted in the strictest possible shape, and that the
discussion about the law in the parliament will be exploited for
demonstrating "ethnic Latvian patriotism" and mobilizing
nationalistically minded electorate. Along with the unclear output of
the referndum on the amendments to the citizenship law, this may
aggravate the situation in Latvia and seriously impede the integration
process (both internally and in terms of accession to the EU). 

Boris

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