The former law temporarily instead of the new one

The elder of the Seimas faction of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania (AWPL), Rita Tamašunienė, registered a draft on reintroduction the validity of the earlier Law on National Minorities until a new law is prepared and passed by the parliament.

“There is about 16 per cent of persons of other nationalities. With such large number of residents of national minorities it is necessary to have a law that would protect their rights and regulate the situation of national minorities in Lithuania” – R. Tamašunienė wrote in the explanatory note. The Member of Parliament suggests the law registered by her to come into effect when it is passed by the Seimas.

In the conversation with “Wilnoteka”, the member of AWPL stressed that the new draft law will come up for debate of the Seimas already in the spring session – a working group, consisting of the representatives of the Polish party also, is working on the very last details at present. Before, however, the draft passes all the stages anticipated by the Seimas procedure – the first and the second reading of a bill – much time will elapse.

“Now there is no legal document that would regulate the issues of national minorities, and there is a good deal of problematic issues. Therefore, we are trying to convince the coalition partners and the rest of the Members of Parliament to reintroduce the former Education Act which, in the eyes of the law, would solve many contentious issues” – said to “Wilnoteka” R. Tamašunienė. The elder of the AWPL faction would like the bill on temporary reintroduction of the earlier Law on National Minorities to be examined already in March.

The earlier Law on National Minorities was in effect in Lithuania between 1991 and 2010, stipulating that, among other things, territories with a dense population of national minorities were allowed to have information signs in the official language next to the language of a certain national minority.

Based on: Inf.wł.

Source: http://www.wilnoteka.lt/pl/artykul/dawna-ustawa-chwilowo-zamiast-nowej

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