The Ministry of Justice is currently working on a law that will limit the use of the Russian language in the workplace and in public places, Minister of Justice Janis Bordans told the Delfi portal.

He said the law could be the result of a language referendum held in February 2012, in which 74.8% of voters voted against Russian as a second state language.

While the referendum confirmed the desire of the residents to have Latvian as the only state language, the minister emphasized that “in practice, the long-term consequences of Russification are such that the practice of daily use of Latvian and Russian in communication, in public places and at workplaces has taken root.”

According to the politician, this is despite the fact that all residents of Latvia have the opportunity to use the state language every day. He also added that “the practice is such that Latvians need to know the Russian language in various situations.”

“This cannot be allowed, except for certain cases that will be listed in the law. But the public should know that the Latvian language should be used both for business relations and for communication at the workplace,” Bordans believes.

According to him, in the near future such a law may be sent to the meetings of the parties forming the government. After that, it can be submitted to the parliament.

Answering the question whether the changes will also affect telephone robots, in particular various enterprises of the private or public sector, which often offer customers the opportunity to communicate not only in Latvian, but also in Russian, Bordana says that this issue has not been discussed yet. The politician, however, admits that this may also apply to such cases.

“It is necessary to prohibit the use of a language that is not a language of the European Union, except for the national language during the sale of goods or the provision of services. The Russian language may also be excluded in telephone and banking messages,” the minister said.

The law may also apply to job advertisements that require knowledge of the Russian language. “For example, in cases where an employer employs at least 50 employees and requires at least five employees to know or use a language that is not an official EU language, or believes that knowledge of this language will give the candidate an advantage, this will have to be justified,” said Bordans.

It is expected that this justification will be further checked by the State Linguistic Center and State Labor. The employer, in turn, will have to seek approval from both institutions.

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