Ukrainian lawmkers adopt Zelenskyy's bill on use of English language in Ukraine
The Verkhovna Rada adopted in the second reading the bill on the use of the English language in Ukraine, which was submitted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2023, MPs Oleksii Honcharenko and Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported.
Also, 226 lawmakers supported the amendment, which provides for budget support for cinemas for showing English-language films in the original language.
Back in November 2023, the Verkhovna Rada supported as a basis draft law No. 9432 on the use of the English language in Ukraine.
The document provides for the official establishment of the status of English as one of the languages of international communication in Ukraine. They will also determine those positions for which candidates must necessarily know the English language.
However, misunderstandings and public criticism were caused by the clause concerning cinema screenings. It was proposed that English-language films in cinemas should be shown in the original with Ukrainian subtitles: from 2025 - half of all films, from 2026 - three quarters, and from 2027 - all.
Critics of the refusal of Ukrainian dubbing of English-language films in cinemas noted that this would lead to the dismissal of actors, the closing of studios, the loss of cinema audiences and, as a result, the development of "piracy", in particular the spread of Russian-language "pirate" content.
On the website of the President's Office, 25,000 signatures were collected under a petition to Zelenskyy calling on him not to end the dubbing of foreign films in the Ukrainian language. After the public outcry, the parliamentarians promised to finalize the clause of the draft law on the English language, which concerns the dubbing of films. In the end, the rules on film dubbing and TV programs were excluded.