Government adopted amendment on Protection and Preservation of the Cyrillic Alphabet

Government adopted amendment on Protection and Preservation of the Cyrillic Alphabet

The law regulates the use of the Serbian language and toughens measures for the protection of the Cyrillic alphabet as "mother script".

The Law on Official Use of Languages and Alphabets entered regular parliamentary procedure for adoption.

As it was announced, this Law defines the establishment of additional measures aimed at nurturing the Serbian language and the Cyrillic alphabet, as well as cultural and traditional values, and the wider use of this alphabet in public life, given its historical, cultural and identity significance.

The draft law envisages binding and stimulating measures for the protection of the Cyrillic alphabet. Binding measures expand the circle of entities that are obliged to use the Cyrillic alphabet, and according to this law, they would be all entities that operate or perform activities with a majority share of public capital.

The mandatory use of the Cyrillic alphabet is already provided by the Law on Official Use of Languages ​​and Alphabets for state, provincial and local authorities, public companies and public services.

The draft law also prescribes measures of a stimulating nature that are primarily aimed at the private sector, as well as the media in private ownership, given their importance in public life, and relate to the possibility of establishing tax and other administrative benefits for private sector entities, who decide to use the Cyrillic alphabet in their work and business.

This Proposal also stipulates that cultural and other events that are financed or co-financed from public funds must have a logo written in the Cyrillic alphabet, and in accordance with the regulations according to which they are organized.

The amendments, it added, also envisage the establishment of the Council for the Serbian Language, which will coordinate activities related to implementing the Law on Official Use of Languages and Alphabets and the implementation of language policy.

The ministry said the Council will analyze and give opinions on the state of the official language and script in Serbia and in the Serbian-language area, provide suggestions about creating and implementing language policy, submit proposals for the development of the official language and script as well as make suggestions for the regulation of other issues to improve the situation in the field.