Today, the President's Roundtable of Ethnic Minorities discussed the two language policy bills passed recently by the Riigikogu. The first of them, the Riigikogu Election Act, the Local Government Councils Election Act and the Language Act Amendment Act, was passed by the Riigikogu already on December 15. This Act revises the language proficiency requirements to the election candidates. The second bill, Language Act and State Fees Act Amendment Act is still discussed in the Cultural Committee of the Riigikogu and will determine the Estonian language requirements for public servants and employees in private sector.

Urmas Veikat, Deputy Director of the Language Inspectorate, also made a presentation on the meeting, offered explanations and answered questions concerning the Draft of the Language Act and State Fees Act Amendment Act.

Concerning the Elections Act Amendment Act it was admitted that this is the second imposition of the language requirements after the first attempt to change the Language Act was decided to be in conflict with the Estonian Constitution by the Constitutional Review Chamber of the Estonian Supreme Court in November 1997; the Chamber also decided that such requirements could only be imposed by the Election Act, which the new bill also does.

Part of the members of the Roundtable agreed to this position, emphasising the need to protect the status of the Estonian language as the national language in the representative organs. The other part of members considered the citizens' passive right to elect would be restricted by introducing such language requirements.

As no consensus was reached in this issue, and no quorum was present, it was decided to state the diverse opinions of the members in the minutes and forward the minutes also to the President.

As to the Draft Act No. 1030, the introduction of new procedures for the language proficiency level exams was discussed. According to the new procedures, three levels of proficiency shall be established and the form of the examinations shall be unified. The question to which extent the requirements would affect the employees of the private sector and whether this would in accordance with the Constitution was posed. Several Members of the Roundtable found that the wording of the Draft Act must be more precise in order to avoid contradictions in this field.

The Roundtable is an advisory board acting by the President, where both the cultural societies of the ethnic minorities and the Russian community are represented.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, December 18, 1998

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