Fines up to 9600 euros: Estonia strengthens responsibility for violations of language legislation
The Estonian Parliament has adopted comprehensive amendments to the Language Act, which tighten the requirements for the use of the Estonian language in the public sphere and introduce restrictions on dubbing films in Russian. This was reported by ERR.
The decision was supported by 59 deputies, with no votes "against."
The Ministry of Education and Science of Estonia noted that the purpose of the amendments is to strengthen the position of the Estonian language in the social space. The ministry's Vice-Chancellor, Kairi Kaldoja, explained that the law has been updated in accordance with the needs of society and the labor market.
Expansion of requirements for the use of the Estonian language
According to the adopted changes, the requirement to conduct official business in Estonian extends to all public-law legal entities, as well as to rural and city councils and administrations.
It is separately specified that employees holding positions requiring a mandatory level of Estonian language proficiency but who do not meet these requirements may face administrative penalties.
Increase in fines from 2027
The law strengthens control and accountability mechanisms. From January 1, 2027, the maximum fines will be:
- up to 9600 euros — for legal entities
- up to 1280 euros — for individuals (currently the maximum amount is 640 euros)
At the same time, fines will not be applied immediately. First, the Language Department conducts an inspection and issues an order to eliminate the violation, for example, to learn the language to the required level, undergo training, or pass an exam within a specified period. Only in case of non-compliance with the requirements can a monetary penalty be imposed.
New rules for cinema distribution
A separate block of changes concerns film translation. Dubbing of foreign films into other languages is allowed only for children's and family films.
All other films made in foreign languages may be shown provided Estonian subtitles are available. The simultaneous use of foreign subtitles is also permitted, but Estonian subtitles remain mandatory.
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