Consolidating the sovereignty of the Romanian language in the Republic of Moldova

We, the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, call on the authorities of the Republic of Moldova to adopt firm and consistent measures to ensure the Romanian language as the only legal language for communication in public spaces throughout the country.

The Romanian language, enshrined by the Constitution as the state language, represents a fundamental element of national identity and an essential factor in strengthening social unity and cohesion. However, we note that in numerous public spaces - from institutions and public transport, to commerce, services and the media - the use of other languages, especially Russian, persists in a manner that marginalizes the official language.

This situation perpetuates linguistic confusion, maintains the reminiscences of a historical occupation and prevents the full integration of citizens into the social and civic life of the country.

Examples of good practices from other post-Soviet states:

The Baltic countries (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) have adopted strict language policies, establishing national languages ​​as the only official languages ​​in all public spheres.  For example, Latvia has adopted laws that oblige all public and commercial institutions to use the Latvian language exclusively.

Georgia and Armenia have followed similar policies, strengthening the status of their own languages ​​and considerably reducing the influence of the Russian language in the public space.

Ukraine adopted a state language law in 2019 that provides for the exclusive use of the Ukrainian language in public institutions, the media, the education system and other areas.

Given these examples and the specific context of the Republic of Moldova, we consider it imperative to:

1. Strictly apply the provisions of the state language law.

2. Prohibit the use of other languages ​​in the official work of public institutions.

3. Encourage and support the training of citizens in the Romanian language, where necessary.

4. Require that the Romanian language be the only language used in interactions in the public space: institutions, commercial services, media, displays and announcements.

In order for these facts to be put into action, we demand the elimination of paragraph (2) of Article 13 of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, which states that: “The State recognizes and protects the right to the preservation, development and functioning of the Russian language and other languages ​​spoken on the territory of the country.” This formulation constitutes an ambiguity that perpetuates the privileged status of the Russian language in the public space and runs counter to the spirit of a unitary national society. In order to consolidate the Romanian language as the sole official language, we believe that this paragraph should be repealed, as other post-Soviet states have done in the process of building a coherent and sovereign national identity.

By signing this petition, we affirm our support for the consolidation of the linguistic sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova and the reaffirmation of national identity by respecting the Romanian language as the sole official language and language of public communication.

Sign now! Defend the Romanian language - defend our identity!

Alexandru    Contact the author of the petition