The European Foundation of Human Rights is contented with the information of resignation of carrying work on new Act on State Language

At 1 June 2012 at Seimas  of the Republic of Lithuania website was placed an announcement reporting of its plans to examine a  project of new version of the Act on State Language and related to the Act changes in particular articles of the Act on Self –Government, the Act on State Language Standards  and the Republic of Lithuania Code of Administrative Violations

The European Foundation of Human Rights is contented with the information of resignation of discussing legal changes, that would be further violation of Human Rights on the Lithuanian territory, which was described by the Human Rights Monitoring Institute at Vilnius from 2010 as a low quality consciousness of human rights  among political elites, public officers, judiciary, media and whole of society. The role of the state structures is to develop efficient institutional and legal framework for Human Rights Protection in Lithuania. Especially for the fact that respecting Human Rights standards since Lithuania has joined the EU structures was evaluated as deteriorating and worsening.

Members of the Seimas, who supported the idea, has emphasized that a new version of the Act on State Language would strengthen position of Lithuanian language in every dimension of public life and specify regulation and control issues towards using Lithuanian state  language and responsibility for the Act violations. Moreover, directions regarding using Lithuanian language only in public institutions and self-governments, its relations with legal and physical entities, service and reporting consumers, regulations regarding public inscriptions, etc.

The European Foundation of Human Rights mentions  in 2009 in Slovakia  was undertaken an attempt to introduce categorically using only state language with omitting international obligations, which was a step backward towards respecting Human Rights standards in area of national minorities rights. Tis changed has led to the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities intervention. The Republic of Slovakia in response to the international critism has amended „Principles of the Government Relating to the Act of the National Council on the state language of the Slovak Republic“. („Principles of Interpreting“ ), wich puropose was to clear even the most controversial regulations of the Act. But in fact it just made the legal situation even less transparent for its lack of  binding force.

The Foundation expresses its highest hope Lithuania finally devotes its tome to prepare and amend a modern Act on national minorities instead making efforts to limit national minorities rights.

Since 2011 Lithuania as the only one member state of the Council of Europe, which has ratified Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, does not possess regulations providing for national minorities general scope of  protection and guaranteed rights by the ratified by Lithuania international treaties.

The level of force must be minimal in the society, where the behaviour of human being appeared to be generally predictable.

Tłumaczenie Ewelina Targosz w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu. Translated by Ewelina Targosz within the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.