In May, the Swedish Parliament approved new legislation for language policy based on a government proposal.
Proposed by the Government in March 2009, the new Swedish Language Act confirms Swedish as the main language in Sweden and the official language of the country in international contexts. It states that everyone living in the country has to be given the opportunity to learn, develop and use Swedish. As to public services, their language shall be Swedish.
The Parliament also agreed that the national minority languages (Finnish, Yiddish, Meänkieli, Romany Chib and Sami) must be protected and promoted. Furthermore, the Act states that everyone belonging to a national minority has to be given the opportunity to learn, develop and use their minority language.
The Act will enter into force on 1 July 2009.