Ukrainian government proposes to establish Language Ministry

[Harold F. Schiffman]

>>From REGNUM
Ukrainian government suggests to establish Language Ministry

State body for regulation of country's language policy may be established
in Ukraine; members of a governmental session headed by Deputy Premier
Vyacheslav Kirilenko suggested on May 18 in Kiev. Ukrainian Minister of
Culture and Tourism Igor Likhovoy is quoted by a REGNUM correspondent as
saying at the session: Our state has careless approach towards language
policy. Usage of Ukrainian in all spheres of Ukrainian public life should
be guaranteed at the top-level, regardless of concrete body. It may be,
for example, Language Ministry or another governmental body. Ukrainian
authorities strategic task is the following one: the Ukrainian language
should have the same status as Russian in Russia not only de jure, but de
facto too, Justice Minister Sergey Golovaty stressed in his turn.

In accordance with the session results, Transport and Communication
Ministry, Defense Ministry, State TV and Radio Committee received orders
to take measures to switch countrys information space to Ukrainian.
Additionally to it, several ministries should prepare amendments to the
law On Ratification of European Charter on Regional or Minority Languages
till 1 July 2006. Ukrainian Deputy Premier Vyacheslav Kirilenko is quoted
by REGNUM correspondent as stating that the measures should be taken in
order to bring the law in correspondence with the Charters aims and tasks.

It is worth reminding that, as REGNUM informed earlier, the European
Charter on Regional or Minority Languages became legal ground for several
Ukrainian municipalities to recognize Russian as official language.

http://www.regnum.ru/english/polit/642487.html