Language laws in Estonia

Estonia is one of the three Baltic states that became independent following the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. The country had been part of the Russian Empire before World War I, but along with Latvia and Lithuania became independent in 1918. During World War II, it was occupied by Nazi Germany. After the war it was forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union. During the Soviet period, large numbers of ethnic Russians moved into the country. Soviet dissidents argued that the government encouraged ethnic Russians to move to non-Russian republics as part of a program of deliberate Russification. Whatever the reason so many Russians ended up in Estonia, most felt no need to learn the local language. Things changed when the country regained its independence, because the new state passed laws encouraging, some would say compelling, Russians to learn Estonian. As a Canadian, I find this interesting, because language is an important political and social issue in Quebec. Quebec, of course, has its own language laws.

From the Washington Post (For Estonia's Ethnic Russians, Ties to Moscow Fading by Peter Finn, May 9, 2007):

Estonia was part of the Soviet Union for close to five decades, a period many Estonians view as an occupation. Large numbers of Russian civilians moved here, often resented by the locals. When independence came in 1991, the Russians found themselves a vulnerable minority and sometimes continued to look to Moscow to defend their interests.

[. . .]

But Estonian government officials champion their integration policies and note that the number of people without citizenship has dropped from 450,000 12 years ago to 100,000 today. The number of Russians speaking Estonian has increased from 15 percent in 1991 to 40 percent today, a figure that increases to nearly 60 percent among 18- to 24-year-olds.

"Of course there's still a lot to do, but integration has been successful," said Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet. "The parents of Russian children are putting them in Estonian schools because they want their children integrated into this society."

This integration has been sped by controversial policies of compulsion. Speaking Estonian is a requirement for employment in many parts of the public and private sectors. Depending on the responsibility of the work, people have to obtain a language certificate at one of three levels -- basic, for instance, for a taxi driver but advanced for a doctor.

Officials from a language inspectorate conduct spot-checks of workers to see if they speak Estonian. If they fail, they are forced to get certified or face loss of their jobs. Amnesty International has condemned the policy as "repressive and punitive in nature." And it has alienated some Russians who say it is unforgiving of an older generation who could not easily adapt to change.

"It's humiliating and oppressive," said Prekup, the clergyman. "The state says it's integration, but as a matter of fact it's assimilation."

[. . .]

Read all of Peter Finn's article.

See also:

Would NATO defend Estonia if Russia attacked it?