Legislation

The levels of the State language knowledge for State and municipal officials and employees as well as for medics, pharmacists and psychologists in private sector in Estonia

Summary

There are three levels of the State (Estonian) language knowledge according to Art. 5 of the Law on Language (RT I 1995, 23, 334; 1996, 37, 739; 40, 773; 1997, 69, 1110; 1998, 98/99, 1618; 1999, 1, 1; 16, 275). The concrete requirements are foreseen in the special legal act, that has been approved by the Government (Decree # 249, 16 August 1999, RT I 1999, 66, 656).

The governmental Decree # 249 stipulates requirements for State and municipal officials and employees of the State or municipal institutions and legal entities. The document includes also special requirements for medics, pharmacists and psychologists who work in private firms or in self-employment.

1. GROUND LEVEL

The requirements for State and municipal officials and employees of the State or municipal institutions and legal entities who have concrete duties, similar usage of the language and whose writing work is limited to form-like documents:

1. Attending staff (except for office personnel)

2. Privates under the contracts to the Defense Forces (the Army), Kaitseliit (volunteer corps) and Rescue Department militarized units

2. MIDDLE LEVEL

The requirements for State and municipal officials and employees of the State or municipal institutions and legal entities who have different duties, that could be linked to office-work, management of divisions or cooperation with the divisions, and whose writing work is similar and known:

1. Officials

   1. Junior officials (except for lawyers, secretaries-clerks and court secretaries)
   2. Office personnel

2. Employees of the State or municipal institutions and legal entities
   1. Managers of the entities' divisions and other units, their deputies

   2. Employees on the positions that demand higher education

   3. Teachers (except for teachers of Estonian language or in Estonian learned subjects)

   4. Doctor's assistants and nurses

3. Militaries
   1. Junior officers (except for regular and trained officers) under the contracts to the Defense Forces (the Army), Kaitseliit (volunteer corps) and Rescue Department militarized units

   2. Defense Forces (the Army) and Frontier Guard junior specialists and specialists

   3. Privates and junior officers (except for regular and trained officers) under the contracts to the Frontier Guard

3. SUPREME LEVEL

The requirements for State and municipal officials and employees of the State or municipal institutions and legal entities who are entity's or institution's manager, who deal with activities' planning and coordination, advising, public reports, speeches and preparation of official texts:

1. Officials
   1. Supreme officials

   2. Senior officials

   3. Lawyers, secretaries-clerks and court secretaries

2. Employees of the State or municipal institutions and legal entities
   1. Institution's and legal entity's managers

   2. Medics, pharmacists and psychologists

   3. Educational entities' managers, their deputies, teachers of Estonian language or in Estonian learned subjects

3. Other positions
   1. Judges

   2. Notaries

4. Militaries
   1. Trained and regular junior officers and officers in the Defense Forces (the Army), Kaitseliit (volunteer corps), Rescue Department militarized units and in Frontier Guard (under the contracts)

   2. The Defense Forces (the Army) and Frontier Guard officials: senior specialists and divisions' managers.

5. Private sector
   1. Medics

   2. Pharmacists

   3. Psychologist

Source: Summary prepared by the Legal Information Center for Human Rights http://www.lichr.ee

Top of page