Estonia Proposes Dual Native Languages in Population Register
The Ministry of Education in Estonia has put forward a proposal to allow residents to register two native languages in the Population Register. The move also aims to let individuals define their own nationality, addressing long-standing concerns about linguistic and cultural identity. Officials argue the change would particularly benefit bilingual families and children in education.
Currently, the Population Register only permits one native language to be recorded. The Ministry of Education wants to update this system to better reflect the realities of bilingual households. Kätlin Köverik, a language policy adviser at the ministry, stressed that the change would help preserve native languages, especially for children in schools.
The proposal also seeks to merge language data currently collected in educational institutions into the Population Register. This would provide a clearer overview and improve support for multilingual communities. However, the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the register, has not yet responded to the plan. Ülle Madise, Chancellor of Justice, has backed the idea, stating that people should be able to honestly identify with their primary national identity and language. Yet, the Ministry of the Interior is already in the process of renovating the register, and the new proposal may not align with its existing timeline. A previous estimate suggested the upgrades would take about a year to complete. The main challenge now is funding. The necessary changes would primarily involve IT development, but financial constraints could delay implementation.
If approved, the changes would allow residents to formally recognise two native languages and self-define their nationality. The proposal targets better support for bilingual families and clearer language data management. However, its success depends on securing funds and aligning with the Ministry of the Interior's ongoing technical updates.
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