The names of the streets – in European

For the first time in a long time, the issue of the plates with the names of the streets has appeared outside the context of punishing for notices in Polish. The group appointed by the Prime Minister, Andrius Kubilius, suggests changing the marking of the streets to be more European. According to the “Vilniaus diena”, a daily newspaper, the plates with the names of the streets are going to be moved form private houses to poles standing on the state-owned land.

The proposal for the new street marking mode has been submitted by the group directed by Laimonas Talat-Kelpša, an advisor of the Lithuanian Prime Minister, Andrius Kubilius. The proposal does not include the exact date of the change. “It is connected with the expenditure for local governments so we don’t propose the exact deadline. We simply propose the new street marking mode which will be introduced gradually, beginning from newly established or renovated streets.” said L. Talat-Kelpša. According to the advisor of the Prime Minister, the current street marking mode is obsolete.

“Currently, the plates with the names of the streets are fixed independently of house owners’ will. However, in Western Europe it is a problem of the government and the local authorities, not the private house owners.” explained another Prime Minister’s advisor, Gabrielius Landsbergis.

The idea seems to be modelled on the pan-European practice. However, in many European countries on such plates, placed on special poles, the names of the streets are written in several languages, including the language of a national minority which lives in a particular area. It will be interesting to see when the Lithuanian authorities will become mature enough to truly European solutions.

Based on: BNS

Source:  http://www.wilnoteka.lt/pl/artykul/nazwy-ulic-po-europejsku

Tłumaczenie Karolina Rolka w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu. Translated by Karolina Rolka within the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.