Latvia’s parliamentary majority is moving to phase out the Russian language from private radio broadcasting, building on earlier restrictions across public media, automated teller machines, and commercial services. The Saeima is considering a legislative package that would restrict Russian-language advertising before ultimately ending Russian-language broadcasts entirely by 2034.
Phased Restrictions on Private Radio and Advertising
The legislative plan targets private stations that broadcast in Russian through a structured timeline designed to avoid immediate legal challenges over licensing and court disputes. In the first phase, starting January 1 of next year, advertising in Russian will be prohibited on these stations. Parliamentary proponents argued that the measure is intended to help listeners better master the Latvian language through commercial broadcasts.
The timeline extends through the decade, culminating in 2033. If private broadcasters do not apply to switch their broadcasts to the Latvian language by that year, they will lose the legal basis to broadcast in Russian starting in 2034. This private sector restriction follows the liquidation of the Russian-language public radio station “Doma Square” earlier this year, alongside a scheduled January 1, 2027 end date for Russian-language content on public media portals.
Proposal Prohibiting Russian Campaign Discussions Rejected
During debates on the extensive amendments to the Electronic Media Law, stricter measures faced pushback within legislative committees. Saeima deputy Arturs Butans from the National Alliance proposed prohibiting politicians from discussing matters in Russian during official election campaigns across all media, including newspapers, magazines, and the internet, framing it as a measure to strengthen democracy, freedom of speech, and European values.
However, the Saeima’s Human Rights Commission rejected the proposal. Lawmakers reportedly recognized that a blanket ban on campaign discussions in a minority language would cross the line into censorship, which remains constitutionally prohibited in Latvia. The full Saeima is scheduled to consider the amendments in their third reading.
Broader Language Laws and the 21 Percent VAT Rate
The private radio restrictions sit alongside a broader series of legislative measures enacted by the current Saeima to limit the public use of the Russian language. Previous laws have prohibited Russian-language information on ATMs, required non-Latvian-speaking patients to arrange their own translators, and lifted service-sector obligations for workers to communicate with clients in any language other than Latvian. Written and visual information in Russian, such as menus or online ordering systems in cafes, bistros, and pizzerias, has also been banned.
Financial measures have accompanied these regulatory changes. Starting this year, media and books published in Russian by Latvian legal entities were stripped of preferential value-added tax rates, subjecting them instead to the standard 21 percent rate. This shift makes Latvia the only country in the European Union where the VAT rate applied to printed products depends directly on the language of publication.
