The Verkhovna Rada supported in the first reading the bill on the use of the English language in Ukraine, which obliges certain civil servants, as well as emergency workers and a number of other areas, to speak English.
Source: people’s deputies Yaroslav Zheleznyak and Alexey Goncharenko in Telegram; draft law on the parliament website
Details: On November 22, the Verkhovna Rada adopted as a basis the bill on the status of the English language (No. 9432), 278 people’s deputies voted for it.
The bill provides for the official consolidation of the status of the English language as one of the languages of international communication in Ukraine, the definition of the category of positions for which candidates are required to speak English, the standardization of the specifics of the use of English in the work of government bodies, local governments, emergency assistance units, crossing the state border, in the areas of education, transport, healthcare.
Zheleznyak’s direct speech: “The norm on showing English-language films in cinemas in the original language with subtitles in Ukrainian was excluded by the decision of the committee. So who was in favor of preserving the dubbing – rest easy.”
Details: According to document textthe law, if finally adopted, will require those applying for positions to speak English:
Civil service category “A”; Civil service categories “B” and “C”, the list of which is established by the Cabinet of Ministers; Heads of local state administrations and their deputies; Military officers who serve under a contract (the list is established by the Cabinet of Ministers); Middle and senior police officers of the NPU, chiefs in other law enforcement agencies and civil protection services (the list is established by the government); Prosecutors; Employees of customs and tax authorities (the list is established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine); Heads of business entities in the public sector of the economy (the list is determined by the Cabinet of Ministers).
Also, the requirement to speak English may be imposed in local government bodies if the position involves international cooperation (with the exception of elected positions).
The English exam for officials will be free. It can be taken no more than once every 4 months, but an unlimited number of times.
Emergency assistance is provided in English to foreigners and stateless persons if they do not speak Ukrainian. Calls must also be accepted in English (or another language acceptable to the parties).
Customs and passport control at the border are also carried out in English for foreigners.
In education at all levels, the learning and use of English is also compulsory.
For military personnel, the NATO STANAG 6001 standard for foreign language proficiency at a level sufficient for communication in professional fields will apply.
However, during martial law and mobilization, the requirement to speak English does not apply to military personnel and law enforcement officers.
The requirement to know English for category “A” civil servants, heads of local government administrations and their deputies will come into force 2 years after the end/cancellation of martial law, and for other officials – 4 years after the end of martial law. This is outlined by transitional provisions.
Background:
On June 28, 2023, President Vladimir Zelensky proposed to the Verkhovna Rada to make English language proficiency a mandatory requirement when holding government positions and for a number of areas.
The language ombudsman criticized the bill in terms of showing English-language films in the original language, without dubbing in Ukrainian. Ukrainians also created a petition to preserve the Ukrainian dubbing. She received the required number of votes to be considered. Some provisions of the bill “On the Use of the English Language in Ukraine” were promised to be finalized, including regarding the screening of films. 20 July Humanitarian Committee of Parliament supported bill No. 9432. All points that could narrow the use of the Ukrainian language were removed from the document: the requirement to show English-language films in cinemas in their original language; changes to the cinematography law; changes to the law on the state language regarding cinema; changes to the media law to reduce the quota of Ukrainian-language programs.
2023-11-22 10:39:38
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