Франсуа Альфонси,

Президент партии Европейский Свободный Альянс

Парламенту Латвии

Кабинету министров Латвии

Мы призываем вас пересмотреть последние изменения в Законе об образовании и в Общем законе об образовании, которые нацелены на уничтожение среднего школьного образования и на ограничение основного образования на русском языке в Латвии.

Мы заявляем протест против такого жёсткого ограничения права русскоговорящих латвийцев на использование их родного языка. Школьное образование на родных языках традиционных этнических и лингвистических меньшинств – это одна из наиболее важных ценностей Европейского Союза. Русскоговорящая община Латвии – одно из таких традиционных лингвистических меньшинств Европейского Союза, и латвийские власти должны уважать её права.

To the Parliament of Latvia (Saeima)

To the Cabinet of Ministers of Latvia

We call you to revise the last amendments to the Education Law and amendments to the General Education Law, which are aiming to eliminate secondary school education and to restrict primary school education in Russian language in Latvia.

We declare the protest against such hard restriction of the right of Russian-speaking Latvians to use their native language. School education in native languages of traditional ethnic and linguistic minorities is one of the most important values of the European Union. Russian-speaking community of Latvia is one of such traditional linguistic minorities of the European Union and Latvian authorities should respect its rights.

In accordance with Article 2 TEU, the Union was founded on the values of, inter alia, respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. Article 14(2) of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities ratified by Latvia in 2005, stipulates that in areas inhabited by persons belonging to national minorities traditionally or in substantial numbers, if there is sufficient demand, the Parties shall endeavor to ensure, as far as possible, that persons belonging to those minorities have adequate opportunities for being taught the minority language. There is no doubt that such areas exist in Latvia, there is sufficient demand for receiving instruction in minority languages, and it is possible to ensure this.

Moreover, the European Parliament resolution from March 11, 2004 on the comprehensive monitoring report of the European Commission on the state of preparedness for EU membership of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia called on the Latvian authorities to ensure bilingual school education, including the final exams, according to the current rules, which envisage 60% of teaching in the state language and 40% in the minority language. This recommendation was supported by the European Parliament and remains relevant today.

Signature:

http://rusojuz.lv/ru/ourevents/26315-prezident-partii-evropejskogo-svobodnogo-aljansa-obratilsja-k-parlamentu-latvii/