The Ministry of Culture (MK) of the Slovak Republic asserts that the upcoming amendment to the Act on the State Language is not aimed at minorities, emphasizing that legislative changes will not restrict the use of national minority languages. Minister of Culture Martina Šimkovičová (SNS nominee) met with György Gyimesi on Wednesday, October 16, to discuss the proposed law.
"Once again, we find ourselves in a situation where a segment of the public, with significant support from the opposition, seeks to escalate tensions surrounding the nationality question. I am pleased that György Gyimesi accepted our arguments regarding the necessity of amending the law on the state language. It is clear that this is not an attack on any national minority but rather a measure to protect our state language," Šimkovičová stated, adding that the meeting was organized by Minister of the Environment Tomáš Taraba (SNS nominee).
Gyimesi believes that the Ministry of Culture is refining the draft amendment to ensure it does not negatively impact national minorities, suggesting that it should, in fact, provide them with adequate protection against the growing influence of Americanisms.
The Ministry also clarified that fines for violating the language law will not be imposed on individuals and that the same applies to the supervision of compliance with the legislation.
However, the proposed amendment has faced criticism from opposition representatives, including SaS and Zsolt Simon, chairman of the non-parliamentary party Hungarian Forum. They argue that the proposal targets the Hungarian minority and express concerns about the potential introduction of fines for individuals.
The Ministry of Culture contends that the need for amendments arose from practical application, aiming to reinforce the status of the state language and ensure effective government oversight. They assert that certain provisions of the law have been repeatedly violated by the same individuals, a situation exacerbated by low fine rates and the limited authority of the supervisory body.
Source: TASR
