Foto: BB.LV / радио
As is known, the current Saeima has put an end to the Russian language in public media before going down in history — this language will disappear from the portal starting January 1, 2027. The Russian-speaking radio "Doma Square" was already liquidated this year. ## Learning the Language Through Advertising However, the parliamentary majority decided that the mission to combat the Russian language would be incomplete if it did not succeed in eliminating the Russian language on private radio stations as well. However, considering the licensing and the risk of losing lawsuits in courts, the parliamentarians decided to act in stages. Namely: in the first stage, starting January 1 of next year, advertising in Russian will be prohibited on radio stations that broadcast in Russian. Agree, this is quite democratic and logical! As the deputies explained, this is all done for the benefit of the listeners — so that they can better master Latvian through advertising. The suffering of Russian radio stations will end by 2033 — if they do not apply to switch their broadcasts to the Latvian language, they will not be able to broadcast in that language starting 2034. Saeima deputy from the National Alliance Arturs Butans, as part of strengthening democracy, freedom of speech, and European values, wanted to prohibit discussions in Russian by politicians during the official election campaign in all media, including newspapers, magazines, and the internet. However, the Saeima's Human Rights Commission, which prepared extensive amendments to the Electronic Media Law, rejected Butans' proposal. Apparently, the deputies realized that this would already resemble censorship, which is still constitutionally prohibited in Latvia. But let's see what the final vote will be next Thursday when the Saeima will consider these amendments in the third reading. ## What Else to Prohibit? It should be reminded that the current Saeima has already prohibited the use of the Russian language in information on ATMs, required patients who do not speak the state language to take care of finding a translator themselves, and also made amendments to the Consumer Rights Protection Law, which freed service sector workers from the obligation to communicate with clients in any language other than Latvian. Written and visual information in Russian is also prohibited — for example, menus in Russian or the ability to place an order online in Russian at cafes, bistros, or pizzerias. ## Language Tax It should be noted that starting this year, media and books published by Latvian legal entities in Russian are deprived of the preferential VAT rate and are subject to a rate of 21%. Thus, Latvia has become the only country in the European Union where the value-added tax depends on the language of printed products.
