Moscow, September 20, 2024 – The Europe Today: Latvia’s parliament, the Saeima, has passed amendments banning the use of the Russian language in automated banking machines (ATMs) as part of ongoing efforts to reduce its prominence in the country. The amendments to the Credit Institution Law were adopted on Thursday and will require Latvian commercial banks to remove Russian from ATM interfaces by January 30, 2025.
ATMs in Latvia typically offer interfaces in Latvian, English, and Russian. Under the new regulations, ATM customer interfaces will be restricted to Latvian and may also include official languages from European Union member states or candidate countries. As Russian does not meet these criteria, it will no longer be an available option.
The legislative move is the latest in a series of policies aimed at curbing the use of Russian in public life. Russian is widely spoken in Latvia, where ethnic Russians make up approximately 25% of the population, according to the Central Statistics Bureau. However, the Latvian government has been actively reducing the rights of Russian speakers, particularly since the onset of Russia’s war in Ukraine in 2022.
Latvia, along with fellow Baltic states Estonia and Lithuania, has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. In recent years, the Latvian authorities have introduced various measures targeting the use of Russian, including removing it from school curriculums starting next September. In Riga, restrictions on the use of Russian in public spaces have also been proposed.
The decision to ban Russian in ATMs follows other high-profile restrictions, such as the Latvian National Theater’s blanket ban on Russian-language performances and tighter residency-permit requirements for Russian citizens.
While Latvian remains the only official language in the country, Moscow has strongly criticized Latvia’s policies, labeling them as “extremely Russophobic.” Despite these objections, the amendments are expected to take effect next year, pending the signature of Latvia’s president.
The Latvian banking sector, dominated by Scandinavian-owned banks like Swedbank and SEB, is expected to reprogram its ATMs in the coming months to comply with the new regulations.
