The Bill (Reg. No. 1063) envisages "obligatory proficiency both in the State language, and in the relevant regional or minority language of the citizens, appointed to the positions in the local self-government bodies".
Discussing the said issue, the Committee members upheld the conclusion of the Central Scientific Experts Office and introduced a number of critical remarks to the Bill.
Inter alia, they stated that it is unreasonable to introduce separate amendments to the Laws appertaining to use of languages in Ukraine without prior adoption of a new version of the basic Law on languages, since regulations of the effective Law of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic "On Languages in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic" are obsolete and fail to comply with the Constitution of Ukraine. Moreover, the said Law does not include the list of regional or minority languages and regulations regarding their use.
The People´s Deputies believe that requirement of obligatory proficiency both in State language, and in the relevant regional or minority language of the local self-government officials contradicts to the regulation of the Constitution of Ukraine regarding determination of Ukrainian language as the State language, and to the Resolution of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine of 14 December 1999 regarding constitutional principle of equal access to the public service and service in the local self-government bodies.
Since there are no statements to determine introduction of the said regulation, implementation of the said legislative proposal can provoke negative public response, due to probable employment layoffs among those local self-government officials who are not proficient both in the State language, and in the relevant regional or minority language, which is inadmissible.
Owing to the said facts, the Committee resolved to recommend that the Parliament rejects the Bill due to the results of its consideration at the First Reading.