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June 26, 2024, Kyiv. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, signed a revolutionary law on the use of the English language in Ukraine, which became a significant step on the way to European integration and raising the country’s international status. Law No. 9432 officially establishes the English language as one of the languages of international communication in Ukraine.
The main provisions of the law:
The new law provides for the mandatory use of the English language in various spheres of state and public life, including:
• state and local authorities;
• local governments;
• units of emergency assistance to the population;
• spheres of education, culture, transport, health care.For whom knowledge of English will be mandatory:
The law defines mandatory knowledge of the English language for the following categories of employees:
• civil service workers of category "A";
• civil service employees of categories "B" and "B", the list of which is established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine;
• heads of local state administrations and their deputies;
• servicemen of the officer corps under contract;
• middle and senior police officers of the National Police of Ukraine;
• prosecutors;
• employees of tax and customs authorities;
• heads of economic entities of the state sector of the economy.Purpose of the law:
The main goal of the law is to increase Ukraine’s competitiveness, increase its investment and tourist attractiveness, as well as expand the use of the English language in public spheres of social life. The law also creates favorable conditions for Ukrainians to learn English.
The importance of the English language for Ukraine:
In the rationale of the draft law, it is emphasized that English is the official language in 58 countries of the world and one of the six languages of the United Nations. It is also the official language of the European Union, the Council of Europe, the European Commission, the European Free Trade Association and NATO.
Zelenskyi’s legislative initiative is aimed at overcoming the language barrier that separates Ukraine from the European Union. “Ukraine has the status of a candidate for EU membership, but still remains separated from the EU by a language barrier,” the explanatory note to the law states.
Chronology of events:
• On June 28, 2023, President Zelensky submitted a draft law to the Verkhovna Rada.
• On November 22, 2023, the Verkhovna Rada supported the draft law in the first reading.
• On June 4, 2024, the draft law was adopted in the second reading.The signing of this law became an important milestone on the way to the reform of Ukrainian society and its integration into the world community.
This is reported by Time Ukraine Israel, citing a source from Espreso TV.
