No language certificate — no civil service: Ukraine wants to reinstate strict rules for selecting officials

Ukraine is gradually moving away from the wartime personnel model, where the main task was the rapid filling of vacancies in government bodies. Now the state is tightening personnel selection requirements, returning to stricter standards where, alongside the competition, confirming the level of proficiency in the state language through the appropriate certificate is of key importance, explains the Labor and Employment Inspection of the Dnipro City Council.

This follows from the provisions of draft law No. 13478-1 on the reform of the civil service and the Law of Ukraine "On ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language."

Language requirements that were postponed during the war

After the start of the full-scale war, the state temporarily allowed appointments to civil service positions and local self-government bodies without a mandatory language certificate.

At the same time, draft law No. 13478-1 defines that this practice was an exception, not a new norm. The document provides that persons appointed without confirmation of the level of proficiency in the state language in combat or occupied territories must provide the appropriate certificate within three months after the end of hostilities in these regions.

Thus, the state's approach is temporary flexibility during the war and a return to standard requirements after stabilization.

Language certificate as a mandatory condition for civil service

The law on ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language establishes the mandatory proficiency in the state language for a number of positions.

For a significant part of them, confirmation of the level is carried out precisely through a state certificate issued by the National Commission on State Language Standards.

It is mandatory for:

• civil servants;
• heads of government bodies;
• heads of local state administrations;
• prosecutors;
• judges;
• heads of educational institutions;
• members of state collegial bodies.

The document confirming the level of proficiency in the state language must be submitted before appointment or election to the respective position.

What the language proficiency level means

The assessment system is built on the European CEFR scale (from A1 to C2). The basic level for most civil service positions is defined as C1 — "fluent proficiency."

A person with a C1 level should:

• understand complex texts;
• express themselves fluently and spontaneously;
• use the Ukrainian language professionally;
• formulate thoughts logically and coherently;
• have a high level of grammar mastery.

The C2 level is considered expert proficiency in the language.

Return of competitions and new personnel rules

Draft law No. 13478-1 provides for the restoration of open competitions for civil service as the main selection mechanism. It also plans:

• limiting the time one can hold a position without a competition;
• introducing new internal competition procedures;
• strengthening the assessment of professional competencies.

In this context, the language certificate becomes one of the basic criteria for admission to participate in the selection.

Effectively, an approach is being formed where the absence of confirmed proficiency in Ukrainian means the impossibility of full access to civil service.

Language as a mandatory tool of public administration

The Ukrainian language is designated as the working language for government bodies and local self-government. It is used for:

• record keeping;
• preparation of normative acts;
• official correspondence;
• judicial proceedings;
• document flow;
• work of government bodies and communal structures.

Accordingly, officials who make decisions, work with documents, or represent the state must have professional-level proficiency in the state language.

Internal competitions and career growth

The draft law separately introduces a mechanism of internal competition for category "B" and "C" positions. It allows selection only among employees of a specific government body.

At the same time, the requirement to know the state language remains mandatory in this format as well. Career advancement within the system will also depend on:

• professional level;
• assessment results;
• availability of language confirmation.

Strengthening requirements after the war

The general trend of legislative changes indicates a shift to a stricter civil service model. It implies moving away from rapid vacancy filling to a system where professionalism, competitive selection, and confirmed proficiency in Ukrainian are key.

In this model, the language certificate becomes not a formal requirement but one of the central elements of access to civil service and career in government bodies.

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