Legislation

Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia

22 August, 2000, Riga

Regulations No. 293 (Issued according to Part 2, Article 26 of the State Language Law)

1. The State Language Center (hereafter - Center) is a state civil institution under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice, that, while implementing the state policy, control over compliance to normative acts and supervision in state language issues, ensures preservation, protection and development of the Latvian language.

2. Decisions taken and instructions given by the officials of the Center within the framework of the authority stipulated by the statutes shall be mandatory for juridical and physical persons under the control and supervision of the Center concerning language issues. Decisions and instructions taken by the officials of the Center may be appealed according to the procedure stipulated by legislative acts.

3. The Center is a juridical person. It has its own stamp with the small, supplemented coat of arms of the Republic of Latvia and the full title of the Center.

4. The activities of the Center are financed from the state budget funds, from donations and gifts of legal and physical persons. The Center can open payment accounts with the State Treasury only.

5. In order to protect the rights and interests of a user of the state language, the Center, performs the following functions:

• 5.1. Submits proposals in order to improve normative acts regarding the state language;
• 5.2. Regulates the use of the state language in the state and public life spheres in cases stipulated by normative acts;
• 5.3. promotes the development of the culture of Latvian language and the use of the language;
• 5.4.analyses the state language situation and the dynamics of social linguistic processes;
• 5.5. Furthers arranging of the cultural environment of the language, paying special attention to the restoration and protection of place-names typical for this country;
• 5.6. Provides consultations on Latvian language issues;
• 5.7. Provides conclusions on spelling of personal names;
• 5.8. Explains and popularises the basic principles of functioning of languages in Latvia;
• 5.9. Organizes the development and publication of methodological and information materials;
• 5.10. Organizes state language proficiency tests;
• 5.11. Supervises the implementation of the State Language Law and other national normative acts concerning use of the state language, as well as undertakes certain activities to protect the interests of the population in cases when the State Language Law and other normative acts have been violated.

6. The Center co-operates with town and regional municipalities, other agencies and institutions that ensure the functioning of the state language.

7. The officials of the Center are the Director, Deputy Director, the heads of structural units.

8. Structural units of the Center are departments that operate in conformity with the statutes approved by Director of the Center.

9. In performing its functions, the Center may involve experts, consultants and other specialists on the basis of an employment contract or enterprise contract.

10. The officials of the Center, within the framework of their competence, are authorized to:

• 10.1. Develop or to participate in the development of draft laws and regulations concerning language policy;
• 10.2. request and receive free of charge from the state and municipal institutions, organizations, as well as from other physical and juridical persons, information, necessary for ensuring implementation of the tasks of the Center;
• 10.3. visit institutions, companies (enterprises) and organizations, state and municipal institutions, meet their officials, employees and self-employed persons;
• 10.4. Propose that violations, concerning the language, are eliminated immediately;
• 10.5. Requests to present the original of the state language proficiency certificate;
• 10.6. Retain and inspect the state language proficiency certificates that do not correspond to the indicated level of the state language proficiency or to the requirements of the state language proficiency testing;
• 10.7. In the cases and order provided for by the legislative acts, submit the materials of the inspection to the respective law enforcement institution;
• 10.8. Represent the interests of Latvia in international organisations, forums, meetings, as well as to act in national and international funds and projects, concerning the state language.
• 10.9. Provide paid services in the procedure established by legislative acts.

11. The activities of the Center are managed by the Center's Director. The director is a civil servant who acts in accordance with normative acts. Upon the approval of the candidature in the Cabinet of Ministers in accordance with the Law on Civil Servants the Center's Director is appointed to this post and dismissed from it, as well as his/her salary is determined by the Minister of Justice.

12. Director of the Center:

• 12.1. Represents the Center without any special authorization.
• 12.2. Is responsible for fulfillment of the tasks of the Center;
• 12.3. Is responsible for drafting the budget of the Center and spending of the budgetary funds, allocated to the Center, in accordance with the procedure stipulated by law;
• 12.4. Confirms the list of the Center's personnel, determines the structure of the Center and confirms the statutes of the structural units;
• 12.5 Establishes the permanent commissions and other commissions of the Center and confirms their statutes;
• 12.6. Signs the decisions and statements of the commission;
• 12.7. Employs and dismisses employees of the Center, appoints to posts, dismisses from them and transfers to another post the officials of the Center, as well as concludes employment or enterprise contracts with juridical and physical persons to ensure the activities of the Center;
• 12.8. Issues decrees binding to the employees and civil servants of the Center;
• 12.9. Promotes training and rising of qualification of civil servants and employees of the Center;
• 12.10. Considers inquiries and complaints regarding decisions taken and decrees passed by the officials of the Center.

13. These Regulations take effect on September 1, 2000

Prime Minister A. Berzins

Minister of Justice I. Labucka

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