Language ombudswoman proposes to significantly increase fines for violations of the law.

According to ТСН: The language ombudswoman Olena Ivanovska has addressed the Cabinet of Ministers with a proposal to increase fines for violations of language legislation.

On her Facebook page, she noted that the current fines have become a 'negligible tax' on ignoring the law and no longer serve their preventive role, effectively not deterring violators.

Increase in citizen appeals

Ivanovska also emphasized that recently there has been an increase in appeals from citizens regarding violations of language legislation, particularly in the areas of service, advertising, internet resources, and public information. The low level of accountability undermines the idea of state control and creates a sense of impunity among violators.

The need for increased responsibility

'Symbolic fines are not commensurate with the economic benefit that certain business entities gain by systematically ignoring the requirements of the law, and therefore do not motivate voluntary compliance with language norms.'

The ombudswoman also stressed that increased administrative responsibility is a 'necessary condition for the real effectiveness of language legislation, respect for the state language as a constitutional value, and an element of Ukraine's national security.'

The situation in Kyiv schools

Earlier, the Secretariat of the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language drew attention to the alarming situation regarding compliance with the language law in capital schools.

Olena Ivanovska's initiative aims to strengthen control and responsibility in the field of language legislation, which can significantly affect the quality of service and communication in Ukrainian in various areas of life. If the proposals are adopted, this will create new incentives for compliance with language norms, which is an important step in protecting the state language.