Slovakia's Controversial Language Law

Slovakia's Language Law: how discriminatory is it?

The new Slovak language law has attracted much attention and criticism at home and abroad. The Economist argues that the new rules for using minority languages in Slovakia are very harsh. Fines up to 5 000 euros can be imposed for using languages other than Slovak in public announcements and in the media. This particularly applies to official events, local administration and general announcements and notices.

Hungarian politicians have been quick to voice their concern for ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia. Hungarian-speakers account for about 10 percent of Slovak population. In the words of the Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai, “Why is it necessary in Europe in the 21st century to fine and bother people, citizens of the Slovak Republic, when they want to talk to their doctor in their mother tongue or they want to hear Mass in Hungarian?“

The new language law has also stirred up national politics in Slovakia. The political parties representing the Hungarian minority in Slovakia have set up a campaign to repeal the law and have informed the EU, OSCE and the American Congress about the matter. They argue that while the law is in force, minorities will not be allowed to hold church and public ceremonies in their ethnic languages. Michael Gahler, a conservative German MEP, has condemned the law for “violating commonly respected standards in the EU and disregarding recommendations of the Council of Europe, which foresee the extended use of minority languages". The European Parliament decided not to get involved after a discussion in its recent plenary session, arguing that it is a bilateral issue.

The Slovak Prime Minister Fico refuses to repeal the law but has pledged that, “No individual will be fined in Slovakia for using their own language”. The Slovak Ministry of Culture has confirmed that only legal entities can be fined for breaching the language law. The law will not apply in the case of church services in ethnic languages. He has moreover stated that use of minority languages will not be banned, merely that during public ceremonies a translation into the state language needs to be available.  

The stricter language usage rules are to ensure that Slovak-only speakers are able to understand all official communication and public announcements and that the Slovak language is spoken in every administrative office in Slovakia, the Ministry has further argued when defending the law. It stresses that in the past, Slovak citizens were discriminated against since announcements in public offices were written in minority languages and people speaking only Slovak were not able to understand them.

With elections in Slovakia scheduled for next year, even Slovak opposition politicians, including those that have traditionally cooperated with the ethnic Hungarian parties, have accused the Hungarian minority parties of playing politics with the language law. The Slovak Minister of Foreign Affairs Miroslav Lajcak stressed that there are 14 minorities living in Slovakia and all but one of the minorities support the amended language law.

Whether criticism of the law is valid will depend on its implementation in practice. In a statement, the OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities Knut Vollbaek confirmed that “The amendments to the State Language Law pursue a legitimate aim and are – overall – in line with international standards. Some elements however, raise or – depending on the implementation – might raise issues of compatibility with international standards and with the constitutional principles of Slovak Republic“.

Even if the law does not end up violating international standards on minority rights, it is uncalled for and has further contributed to worsening of Slovak-Hungarian relations. The Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs has admitted that bilateral relations between Hungary and Slovakia are the worst between any two EU states. While the Hungarian minority party was in the previous two governments, the current government has been criticized for failing to promote good relations. Even if the language law does not prove to be discriminatory, the row that has followed from it shows just how much the two states need to improve their relations.

Image courtesy Christian Ferrari