Over the nine months of this year, the highest number of fines in the field of the state language has been applied for its insufficient use in the performance of professional and official duties, according to data from the State Language Center.
A total of 327 such cases have been identified: warnings were issued in 54 cases, and monetary fines were applied in 273 cases. Last year, the highest number of penalties for these violations was also recorded - 446, which constitutes 54.5% of the total number, with fines ranging from 35 to 400 euros.
In total, over the nine months of this year, 517 penalties have been applied for various violations in the field of state language use: warnings were issued in 129 cases, while monetary fines were applied in 388 cases. The second most common violation was the failure to comply with information provision rules - 139 cases were identified: warnings were issued in 61 cases, and monetary fines were applied in 78 cases. For the year 2024, 314 such violations were identified, with fines most often ranging from 101 to 150 euros.
As reported, the members of the Saeima approved in the first reading the amendments to the Administrative Offenses Law proposed by "New Unity" regarding violations in the field of governance, public order, and state language use, which foresee an increase in fines for disrespect towards it.
In recent years, the State Language Center has recorded over 4,000 violations, including cases where the state language was not used in the performance of professional duties. The current fines were established in 2020 and no longer correspond to the economic situation and current language policy, the party notes.
The amendments propose to increase the amount of fines for almost all articles of the law regulating the use of the state language. The changes will affect both individuals and legal entities, and their aim is to have a preventive impact to strengthen societal respect for the norms established by the state, especially in the use of the state language.
For individuals, the fine for various violations currently ranges from 7 to 28 monetary units, and it is now proposed to increase it to 10-39 units.
For legal entities, the current fine ranges from 28 to 140 monetary units, and for specific articles, it can be up to 600 and 1,000 units. It is now proposed to increase it to 39-1,390 units depending on the severity of the violation.
The fine is also proposed to be increased for officials - from 14-60 monetary units to 20-84 units.
Additionally, a new version of Article 20 on disrespect towards the state language is proposed to be included in the law. Politicians suggest introducing a fine for explicit disrespect towards the state language, as well as for actions aimed at diminishing the status and significance of the state language, ranging from 20 to 400 monetary units, whereas currently the fine is up to 140 units.
One monetary unit equals 5 euros.
