Фото: Reform.by
Vilnius municipality considers the integration of foreigners and knowledge of the state language among the key conditions for improving the quality of life in the capital. The Mad in Vilnius portal writes about this, citing BNS.
“Vilnius municipality believes that knowledge of the state language is the best means of helping new residents integrate into the capital,” the municipality said.
It noted that knowledge of Lithuanian expands foreigners’ opportunities when accessing public and private services. In addition, according to the municipality, over time, knowledge of the local language contributes to a more positive assessment of the city and the services it provides.
Earlier, Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas, commenting on the Vilnius authorities’ decision to stop accepting written submissions in Russian, said that a compromise could be communication with Belarusians and Ukrainians in their native languages. According to him, people who have arrived from Belarus and Ukraine should not be forced to use Russian when interacting with municipal institutions.
The Association of Belarusian Parents in Lithuania supported this position. The organization proposed using the Belarusian language when providing services to Belarusians and said it was ready to translate information for the municipality’s website, document forms and information systems into Belarusian free of charge.
Earlier, Vilnius decided that information in the languages of countries outside the European Union would be provided orally if a particular employee spoke those languages. However, the acceptance of written complaints and submissions in such languages would be discontinued. Russian was also removed from the administration’s website and customer queue management system. The decision was actively promoted by Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas.