Zelenskyy signed law on use of English language in Ukraine
On Wednesday, 26 June, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law that officially establishes the status of English as one of the languages of international communication in the country.
According to Censor.NET, this is stated in the card of law No. 9432.
What does the law provide for?
The law defines the norms for the use of English in the following areas:
- in state and local authorities;
- in local self-government bodies;
- in emergency assistance units, when crossing the state border;
- in the fields of education, culture, transport, healthcare, etc.
Who is required to know English?
According to the law card, English language proficiency will be required for:
- civil service employees of category "A";
- civil service employees of categories B and C, the list of which is established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine;
- heads of local state administrations, their first deputies and deputies;
- military officers performing military service under a contract, the list of which is established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine;
- mid-level and senior police officers of the National Police of Ukraine, positions of senior officers of other law enforcement agencies, positions of senior officers of the civil protection service, the list of which is established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine;
- prosecutors;
- tax and customs authorities, the list of which is established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine;
- heads of business entities of the public sector of economy, the list of which is established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
The purpose of the law is to "increase Ukraine's competitiveness, increase its investment and tourist attractiveness, expand the use of English in public spheres of public life and create favourable conditions for Ukrainians to master it".
In particular, civil servants who speak English will receive a 10% supplement to their salary.
In addition, budgetary support for cinemas for showing English-language films is envisaged. This means that the state will provide financial support to cinemas that show films in the original language.
English is a necessity for Ukraine's European integration
The rationale for the draft law states that English is the de jure official language in 58 of the 196 countries of the world, and de facto in a number of other countries and territories. It is also one of the six languages of the United Nations and an official language of the European Union, the Council of Europe, the European Commission, the European Free Trade Association, and NATO.
"Ukraine currently has the status of a candidate for membership in the European Union, but still remains separated from the EU by a language barrier. Compared to other European countries, Ukraine lags behind in the readiness of its citizens to communicate in a foreign language, including English," the note says.
