Language problems in local Estonia

The law, which went into force Oct. 21, the day after nation-wide local elections, states that Estonian is to be the working language of local councils and governments. A previously approved law on elections, however, says that a candidate is not obliged to speak the official language. Estonia's parliament approved the bill last autumn in order to abolish language proficiency requirements for national and local election candidates, and was subsequently one of the reasons the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe closed its mission in Estonia in December 2001. The law, which provides for levying fines on violators, casts doubt on the working ability of numerous local councils across the country. Only eight out of 31 members of the newly-elected city council in Narva, for example, have sufficient command of Estonian. The Language Inspectorate is not going to leave the issue unattended. Ilmar Tomusk, head of the inspectorate, said every local council in areas where over 50 percent of the residents are non-Estonians will be checked. In order to avoid fines, the Narva council said it is preparing to adapt to the new rules.