Forty-nine warnings issued during two years of mandatory use of state language in service sector – language Ombudsman

KYIV. Jan 16 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Commissioner for the Protection of the state language carried out 141 state control measures during the two years of the rule on the mandatory use of the Ukrainian language in the service sector (56 in 2021 and 85 in 2022), according to the results of which a warning was issued to business entities in 49 cases (35%).

According to the press service of the Language Ombudsman, citizens continue to record frequent violations – about 50% of all citizens’ appeals (from 2,844 in 2022 and 3,574 in 2021) relate specifically to Article 30, and the vast majority of them are services via the Internet.

Citizens’ appeals also concerned the provision of services in a language other than the state, in particular in catering and trade establishments selling various types of goods; providing information about goods, works or services in a non-state language and drafting accompanying documents for goods and services (invoices, receipts) in a non-state language.

"The largest number of appeals under Article 30 (647) was recorded in January 2021, when the requirements of the law in the service sector came into force," the press service said.

According to the results of consideration of citizens’ appeals, the language Ombudsman, in addition to conducting state control, imposed two fines on violators.

"The results of the work carried out and the analysis of the sphere, in general, indicate the willingness and desire of society to increase the use of the Ukrainian language in receiving and providing services. However, despite the positive developments recorded by sociological research in the service sector and confirmed by the high level of elimination of violations based on the results of consideration of citizens’ appeals and state control measures, there is still something to work on," the report says.