He Government of Andorra approved this Wednesday the official language bill, which among other measures includes the obligation to prove a minimum level of Catalan in order to obtain the first renewal of the residence and work permit.
The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Mònica Bonell, highlighted in a press conference that the official language of the country is “a responsibility of all” and which is, he said, a valuable tool for identity and sovereignty, which is why public powers must guarantee its survival.
Among the notable changes is the obligation to prove basic knowledge of Catalan to obtain the first renewal of the residence and work permit.
At this point, the Principality has several types of residence permits and the one affected is the one that the majority of salaried workers of foreign origin in the country have.
On the other hand, the measure does not affect passive residents (those people who come to Andorra to reside but without working) nor does it affect residence and self-employment permits, which are, for example, those used by ‘youtubers’. or seasonal or border workers.
It will affect about 3,000 residents in 2024
According to Bonell, the Government has estimated that about 3,000 residents who must renew their permit of residence in 2024 will be affected by the obligation.
On the other hand, the law will also include the minimum requirement of making the initial greeting in Catalan in customer service and know the basic vocabulary of the profession.
The minister has clarified that the requirements do not seek to “prevent the arrival of anyone due to language“, but to promote the learning of Catalan once the person already resides in the Principality, in addition to integrating them into society through knowledge of the country’s official language.
Organisms
To guarantee the use of the official languagethe bill provides for the creation of two bodies in charge of language policy: the Coordination Board on Language and Training and the National Council for Language.
Furthermore, the text proposes the participation of the General Council (Parliament), the Government and the comuns (municipalities), with a technical administration of the Linguistic Policy department.
The regulations also refer to the use of Catalan in the administration of justice and alternative conflict resolutionestablishing the use of translators and interpreters for people who do not understand Catalan.
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On the other hand, it refers to the use of Catalan sign language and takes “a step forward” in the modernization of administrative language and public communications.
Finally, the text updates the sanctions for non-compliance with linguistic regulations “with rationality and objectivity“.