“The State Language Commission would like to maximize the dominance of Latvian language in the media; however we are aware that a certain part of on-air content must be devoted to minority languages. We do not request prohibition of the broadcasting in other languages, but we are reviewing proportions of language use. If everything would favour the Latvian language, there would be no reason for concern,” said A.Veisbergs.
Having recalled the controversial amendments to the Law on Electronic Mass Media, whose entering into force was postponed until the end of 2016, A.Veisbergs noted that it provided an opportunity to the public and politicians to discuss about high-quality solutions. In his view, the state had every right to regulate those issues, especially considering the ideological aspect under conditions of hybrid war.
“We regulate the language both in public administration, schools, and product descriptions giving preference to Latvian language. The media are even more important in this respect, so impact of foreign information environment on our population should be decreased,” stated A.Veisbergs and invited the present politicians and lawyers to listen to the conclusions of the debate and to take them into account when considering the aforesaid amendments.
Chairperson of SLC Andrejs Veisbergs, the Head of Media Policy Department of the Ministry of Culture Roberts Putnis, Associate Professor of Riga Stradins University Anda Rožukalne, Head of Language Development Division of Latvian Language Agency Inita Vītola, Judge of Constitutional Court of Latvia Ineta Ziemele and the Advisor for Constitutional Affairs to the President of Latvia Jānis Pleps participated in the workshop, which hosted offsite meeting of the Standing Committee on Human Rights and Public Affairs of the Saeima.
The main task of the State Language Commission established by the President of Latvia is to develop strategic directions of language policy following comprehensive analysis- based studies, to monitor implementation of State Language Policy program, and to participate in and advise on the legislative issues of language policy.