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LAW OF UKRAINE

of April 25, 2019 No. 2704-VIII

About ensuring functioning of Ukrainian as state

(as amended on 19-06-2022)

Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine,

based on the Declaration on the state sovereignty of Ukraine of July 16, 1990 and the Act of declaration of independence of Ukraine adopted by the All-Ukrainian referendum on December 1, 1991 of August 24, 1991 which recovered independent national statehood of Ukraine;

being guided by the Constitution of Ukraine which determines Ukrainian as the single state language in Ukraine and assigns obligation to the state to provide all-round development and functioning of Ukrainian in all spheres of public life in all territory of Ukraine;

being effective according to the Solution of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine of December 14, 1999 with No. 10-rp/99, by which it is determined that Ukrainian as state is the obligatory means of communication in all territory of Ukraine when implementing powers by public authorities and local government bodies (language of acts, works, clerical works, documentation and so forth), and also in other public spheres of public life which are determined by the law;

considering the Concept of the state language policy approved by the Presidential decree of Ukraine of February 15, 2010 No. 161/2010, which determines strategic priorities in overcoming the colonialists and invaders of deformations called by centuries-old assimilatory policy national language and cultural and language information space and according to which full functioning of Ukrainian in all spheres of public life in all territory of the state is guarantee of preserving identity of the Ukrainian nation and strengthening of the state unity of Ukraine;

realizing that Ukrainian is the determining factor and the main sign of identity of the Ukrainian nation which was historically created and through many centuries continuously lives in own ethnic territory, constitutes the vast majority of the population of the country and gave the official name to the state, and also is basic backbone component of the Ukrainian civil nation;

aiming at strengthening of the state and consolidation functions of Ukrainian, increase in its role in ensuring territorial integrity and homeland security of Ukraine;

aiming at creation of proper conditions for providing and protection of the language rights and needs of Ukrainians;

and also in view of the Conclusion of the European commission for democracy through the right according to which in the special conditions which developed in Ukraine, the balanced policy in the language sphere requires proper guarantees for preserving state language as the tool of unification of society, and the Recommendation of the European commission for democracy through the right to the Ukrainian legislature to find significantly more acceptable methods of confirmation to supremacy of Ukrainian as single state language and to take additional measures for strengthening of its role in the Ukrainian society,

adopts this Law.

Section I General bases

Article 1. The status of Ukrainian as single state language in Ukraine

1. The single state (official) language in Ukraine is Ukrainian.

2. The status of Ukrainian as single state language is caused by state-building self-determination of the Ukrainian nation.

3. The state status of Ukrainian is indivisible element of the constitutional system of Ukraine as unitary state.

4. The status of Ukrainian as single state language in Ukraine is determined only by the Constitution of Ukraine.

5. The procedure for functioning and application of state language is determined only by the law.

6. Deliberate distortion of Ukrainian in official documents and texts, in particular its deliberate application with violation of requirements of the Ukrainian spelling and standards of state language, and also creation of obstacles and restrictions in application of Ukrainian involve the responsibility established by the law.

7. The status of Ukrainian as single state language provides obligation of its use in all territory of Ukraine when implementing powers by public authorities and local government bodies, and also in other public spheres of public life which are determined by this Law.

8. Ukrainian as the single state language performs functions of language of interethnic communication, is guarantee of human rights protection for each Ukrainian citizen irrespective of its ethnic origin, and also is factor of unity and homeland security of Ukraine.

Article 2. Law coverage

1. This Law regulates functioning and application of Ukrainian as state in the spheres of public life determined by this Law in all territory of Ukraine.

2. Operation of this Law does not extend to the sphere of private communication and making of religious practices.

3. The procedure for application of the Crimean Tatar language and other languages of indigenous people, ethnic minorities of Ukraine in the respective spheres of public life is determined by the law on procedure for realization of the rights of indigenous people, ethnic minorities of Ukraine taking into account the features determined by this Law.

Article 3. Law tasks

1. Tasks of this Law are:

1) protection of the state status of Ukrainian;

2) approval of Ukrainian as language of interethnic communication in Ukraine;

3) ensuring functioning of state language as instrument of merging of the Ukrainian society, means of strengthening of the state unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine, its independent statehood and homeland security;

4) ensuring application of Ukrainian as state in all territory of Ukraine in the spheres of public life determined by this Law and also in the international communication, during implementation official and officials of representational functions;

5) ensuring development of Ukrainian for strengthening of national identity, preserving national culture, traditions, customs, historical memory and ensuring its further functioning as state-building factor of the Ukrainian nation;

6) support of Ukrainian by assistance:

a) to ownership of Ukrainian of citizens of Ukraine;

b) to development of the Ukrainian sign language as main or one of fixed assets of communication of zhestoyazychny persons. The status, the principles and procedure for application of the Ukrainian sign language are determined by the law;

c) to application of Ukrainian according to requirements of the Ukrainian spelling and other standards of state language;

d) to the use instead of foreign-language Ukrainian words, phrases and terms if in Ukrainian there is equivalent compliance, and to increase in level of awareness of citizens about them;

") to prevention of vulgarization of Ukrainian and its mixing with other languages;

e) to dissemination of knowledge about Ukrainian and its role in development of the Ukrainian and European cultures;

e) to promoting of dialects and dialects of Ukrainian and their preserving;

є) to studying of Ukrainian in Ukraine and abroad;

7) distribution of Ukrainian in the world and assistance in satisfaction of language needs of foreign Ukrainians and citizens of Ukraine who live or temporarily are outside Ukraine.

Article 4. Status of the Ukrainian sign language and language rights of zhestoyazychny persons

1. The Ukrainian sign language is language of community of zhestoyazychny persons.

2. The Ukrainian sign language - natural visual and sign language system with own lexical and grammatical structure which was created in the evolutionary way and is used as the main or one of fixed assets of communication of zhestoyazychny persons who constantly live or for a long time lived in the territory of Ukraine.

3. In Ukraine the right to freely use the Ukrainian sign language in public life, to study and support him, and also to study in the Ukrainian sign language is guaranteed to everyone.

4. Any of provisions of this Law cannot be interpreted as directed to narrowing of the sphere of use of the Ukrainian sign language.

Article 5. State program of assistance to development of state language

1. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine claims and provides accomplishment of the State program of assistance to development of state language (further - the Program).

2. The program determines the main strategic objectives and priority tasks of state policy by support of state language during the corresponding period of time, and also action which are planned to be performed for achievement of the specified purposes and realization of tasks.

3. According to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Program takes measures for creation and ensuring activities of network of the state, municipal rates for studying of state language by citizens of Ukraine, foreigners and stateless persons, creates conditions for development of subjects of educational activities which give the chance to each person to master state language, including by informal and informalny education.

4. The program shall be developed and implemented taking into account the guarantees and privileges necessary for requirements satisfaction of citizens of Ukraine established by the law, foreigners and stateless persons in studying of state language and distribution of its use, both in Ukraine, and beyond its limits.

5. The program of activities of the central executive body which provides forming of state policy in spheres of culture and arts for cultural development for the corresponding year shall provide actions for assistance to development of Ukrainian, including by the edition of education guidances on Ukrainian, creation of the Ukrainian terminology dictionary database and providing open entry to the specified book products to citizens of Ukraine, foreigners and stateless persons, and shall correspond to the Program.

Section II Ukrainian and citizenship of Ukraine

Article 6. The obligation of the citizen of Ukraine to know state language

1. Each citizen of Ukraine shall know state language.

2. The state provides to each citizen of Ukraine opportunities for development of state language through system of organizations of preschool, complete general average, out-of-school, professional (professional), professional prehigher, higher education, education of adults, and also through the support of informal and informalny education directed to studying of state language.

3. The state will organize free rates of Ukrainian for adults and provides opportunity to freely master state language to citizens of Ukraine who had no such opportunity.

Article 7. The obligation to know state language for receipt of citizenship of Ukraine

1. Person who has intention to acquire citizenship of Ukraine shall certify appropriate level of ownership of state language.

Persons who have outstanding merits in front of Ukraine including foreigners and stateless persons which in the procedure established by the legislation of Ukraine pass military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and are awarded by the state award, and persons whose acceptance in citizenship of Ukraine is of state interest to Ukraine have the right to acquisition of citizenship of Ukraine without certification of level of proficiency in state language. Such persons shall master state language at the level determined by the legislation within one year from the date of nationality acquisition.

2. The requirements to level of proficiency in state language necessary for receipt of citizenship of Ukraine, the National commission on standards of state language determines.

3. Passing an examination on the level of proficiency in state language necessary for receipt of citizenship of Ukraine, is performed according to the procedure, established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

Article 8. Language of identity documents of the citizen of Ukraine

1. Identity documents of the citizen of Ukraine, are constituted in state language. In the cases determined by the law and international treaties which consent to be bound is provided by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine such documents are constituted in other languages and are duplicated in state language.

2. Citizens of Ukraine whose native language differs from Ukrainian have the right to the transcribed record of the of surname and name according to the national tradition in identity documents of the citizen of Ukraine, according to article 40 of this Law.

3. Entry of surname and name in the passport of the citizen of Ukraine for trip abroad is performed in transcription from Ukrainian.

The Section III Obligation to know state language

Article 9. Persons who shall know state language and apply it during execution of service duties

1. Shall know state language and apply it on duty:

1) President of Ukraine, Prime Minister of Ukraine, First vice-Prime Minister of Ukraine, vice-Prime Ministers of Ukraine, other cabinet ministers of Ukraine, first deputies and deputy ministers, heads of other central executive bodies and their deputies, Chief of Presidential Administration of Ukraine and his deputies, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and its deputies, Chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine and his deputies, Chairman of Service of foreign intelligence of Ukraine and his deputies, Attorney-General and his deputies, heads of regional and district prosecutor's offices, head of Specialized anti-corruption prosecutor's office and his deputies, members of council of the National Bank of Ukraine, Chairman and other members of Audit Chamber, Chairman of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine, other state representatives of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine, chairmen of territorial departments of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine, members of the National agency concerning prevention of corruption, members of the National commission on standards of state language, members of Central Election Commission, members of National council of Ukraine concerning television and broadcasting, members of the national commissions of regulation of natural monopolies, members of the National commission on securities and the stock market, members of the National commission performing state regulation in the sphere of the markets of financial services, members of other state collegiate organs, the Chairman of the State committee of television and broadcasting of Ukraine and his deputies, the Chairman Fonda of state-owned property of Ukraine and his deputies, permanent representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the President of Ukraine in the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, the Director of National anti-corruption bureau of Ukraine Representative of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for human rights and his representatives, Representative for protection of state language, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Autonomous

The Republic of Crimea and his deputies, the Chairman of the board of ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and his deputies, ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and his deputies;

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