The Verkhovna Rada Passes the Law on 75% of the Ukrainian language on Television
Following the radio , the language quotas will be effective on Ukrainian television too. The relevant law was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada. At the session held on Tuesday, May 23, 269 MPs voted for the adoption of the draft law No. 5313 .
The law stipulates that the Ukrainian-language content on the air of national channels shall be 75% of the running time of broadcasts during the day in each of the time intervals: between 7:00 and 18:00 and between 18:00 and 22:00. On the air of regional TV channels the Ukrainian language should occupy 60% of their broadcasting time. In addition, three quarters of all news on the air of Ukrainian channels shall be presented in the national language.
Read also: Language Quotas on Ukrainian Television: “Pros” and “Cons”
The draft law was initiated by Mykola Knyazhytsky and Viktoria Syumar. The authors called historic that document and advocated it in every possible way. They remarked that no one would prohibit and translate such a film, for example, as “The Diamond Arm”, since Soviet films would remain outside the scope of that law. The motion pictures filmed in a foreign language will be dubbed.
The authors of that draft law reminded that by 2012, the share of the Ukrainian language on air was 75% anyway. Then it was passed the notorious “Kivalov-Kolesnichenko’s Law”, and the share of the national language on Ukrainian TV decreased severalfold.
For the time being, it is known that in case of reducing the Ukrainian-language share on air, the TV channels will have to pay a fine equalling 5% of the license fee.
