U.S. English Foundation Research

LATVIA

Legislation

YEAR DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS OF THE STATE LANGUAGE LAW

1988	• Granting a state language status to the Latvian language mentioned for the first time • Establishment of a working group to research legislation • Beginning of the people's movement, in which signatures were collected in support of granting the Latvian language an official status
1988	September 29, the Supreme Council of the Latvian SSR passes the Decision on the Status of the Latvian language, which states: 1. • The Latvian language in the territory of the LSSR shall have a state language status; • The development and teaching of the Latvian language shall be provided, its use shall be guaranteed in all state enterprises, departments and organizations, educational, scientific, cultural, technical, health care, municipal services, and other areas; • In contacts with the state institutions and organizations, citizens shall have an option and shall be guaranteed documents and information in either Latvian or Russian. Federal relations shall take place in Russian. 2. Instruct the LSSR Supreme Council Presidium to draft a bill on the use of Latvian and other languages by January 1, 1989, to make it available for public discussion, and to submit a final draft for approval to the LSSR Supreme Council.
1989	May 5, adoption by the LSSR of the Law on Amendments to the Latvian SSR Constitution and LSSR Language Law (LSSR state language is Latvian. The Language Law regulates the use of the LSSR state language and other languages).
1992	Adoption of the amendments and appendices to the Latvian SSR Language Law, which stabilized the position of the Latvian language and in fact established it as the only official language.
1995	The first draft of the State Language Law submitted to Saeima (Parliament).
1998	Amendments to the Latvian Constitution, Paragraph 4, which further strengthens Latvian as the official language of the Republic.
1999	The State Language Law adopted.
Aug. 2000	Guidelines adopted for government control of language use.
Nov. 2000	Amendments to these guidelines adopted, which contain language level requirements for various professions.
2002	Amendments and appendices to the Constitution adopted: • Latvian is the working language of the Parliament and municipal governments; • Members of Parliament must pledge allegiance to Latvia, the strengthening of its sovereignty, and the support to the Latvian language as the only state language; • The requirement by MP's to provide evidence of Latvian language skills is lifted; • Party candidates provide their own assessment of their Latvian language skills.

Source: Mercator, Working Paper No. 12, The Evolutionary Process of Laws on the State Language, Education, and Naturalization: A Reflection of Latvia's Democratization Process, by Dr. Aija Priedite, 2003, http://www.ciemen.org/mercator/index-gb.htm

Top of page