Catalan is the official language of the 468-square-kilometer Andorra, which lies between France and Spain’s Catalonia region, but its use has declined in recent years. The purpose of the law is to maintain the status of this language.
Of the 80,000 Andorran residents, regarding half are citizens of this country. The country is also home to 25,000 Spanish citizens and many migrant workers from Latin America, and Spanish is becoming a daily language for many Andorrans.
Around 3,000 people who need to renew their residence permits in 2024 will have to take a Catalan language test. Those who fail will have to take a 30-hour Catalan language course at a center set up by the government.
The new law also allows fines to be imposed in some cases where Catalan is not used in a company or institution.
«[Этот закон] is intended to protect our language, which is a sign of identity and sovereignty,” said Andorran Minister of Culture Monica Bonell.
The law was passed by parliament with 25 votes in favor and three once morest. The small right-wing party Andorra Endavant (Andorra Forward) voted once morest.
“We do not agree with these extremist fines for not knowing the Catalan language. I think we are sliding towards a totalitarian state,” said the party’s leader, Karin Montaner.
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2024-04-26 07:41:35
