Latvian parliament increases fines for state language violations

The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, on Thursday approved amendments to the Administrative Penalties Law prepared by deputies of the New Unity party, significantly increasing fines for violations of the state language usage rules.

The changes apply to individuals, legal entities, and officials. For individuals, the fine has been raised from 7–28 penalty units to 10–39 units. For legal entities, the fine increased from 28–140 units to 39–1390 units depending on the severity of the violation. For officials, the fine rose from 14–60 units to 20–84 units.

A new version of Article 20 introduces penalties for open disrespect towards the state language. Offenses such as actions aimed at degrading the status and significance of the state language now carry a fine of 20 to 400 penalty units, up from the previous 7 to 140 units. One penalty unit equals five euros.

Edmunds Jurēvics, head of the New Unity parliamentary group, stated that the amendments are not merely repressive but represent a clear state position on the importance of the state language. The State Language Centre has identified over 4,000 violations in recent years, including cases where the state language was not used in professional duties. Current fines, set in 2020, are no longer adequate given the economic situation and current language policy, according to the party.