Rada establishes English as the language of international communication in Ukraine

The Ukrainian parliament has passed in the second reading draft law No 9432 on the use of the English language in Ukraine. This was reported by Uryadoviy Portal on 4 June.

The Cabinet of Ministers noted that this step brings Ukraine closer to the EU membership and contributes to the competitiveness of Ukrainian business, science, education and government bodies.

The draft law defines the category of posts, candidates for which must speak English:

• civil servants of category "A", as well as "B" and "C", the list of which is established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine;
• heads of local state administrations, their deputies
• employees of local self-government bodies (except for elected officials) whose main job duties include fulfilment of international cooperation functions;
• military officers, sergeants and petty officers who perform military service under contract, the list of which is established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine;
• police officers of the middle and higher ranks of the National Police of Ukraine, posts of senior staff of other law enforcement agencies and posts of senior staff of the civil defence service, the list of which is established by the Cabinet of Ministers;
• prosecutors;
• employees of tax and customs authorities, the list of which is established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine;
• heads, members of the executive body, members of the supervisory board (board of directors) and other officials of state enterprises and economic societies in whose charter capital more than 50 per cent of shares (stakes) belong to the state;
• heads of state scientific institutions;
• heads of higher educational institutions.

In addition, the draft law promotes the spread of English in the spheres of education, culture, transport and medicine:

• compulsory study of English by children of senior pre-school age,
• information signs about tourist sites and announcements at transport hubs shall be in English,
• information on health care institutions may be provided in English.

Previously, Ukraine did not have a special legislative act regulating the specifics of the use of English as a language of international communication.

The draft law is an important step towards Ukraine's integration into the international community. It will increase the level of services for foreign citizens and improve the country's reputation in the international arena.

In addition, the introduction of English provides new opportunities for the development of science, education and will help Ukrainian entrepreneurs to enter international markets.

This will create favourable conditions for attracting foreign investment, which, in turn, will contribute to economic growth and the creation of new jobs.

Earlier Socialportal told how to choose English language courses that meet your goals.