The bill on the use of the English language in Ukraine, prepared for the second reading, was not on the agenda of the plenary session on Tuesday, since the proposal to dub 50% of English-language films into Ukrainian caused a public outcry, Head of the parliamentary committee on humanitarian and information policy Mykyta Poturayev (Servant of the People faction).

"The main reason [about not including the bill on the agenda of the plenary session] is that we once again wanted to discuss the amendment proposed by the government to this bill regarding the establishment of a relationship between films that are dubbed into Ukrainian from English, to those films that can be shown in the original language, that is, in English, in a ratio of 50 to 50 percent. This is a government proposal. We understood that it would cause a discussion," Poturayev said during a national telethon on Tuesday.

According to the head of the committee, the government's idea "caused an absolutely expected public outcry... and that is why, because of this discussion, the law did not reach the Verkhovna Rada hall today," Poturayev said.

He said when considering the bill in the first reading, the Verkhovna Rada did not support the provision on showing English-language films in cinemas without Ukrainian dubbing.

According to committee member Volodymyr Viatrovych (European Solidarity faction), the committee meeting at which they planned to consider the government's proposed norm for the bill was cancelled.

"The servants of the people changed their minds today about convening a humanitarian committee, at which they planned to return to the English language bill the norms that would destroy Ukrainian film distribution and film dubbing... But this does not mean that the threat has disappeared," Viatrovych said on Facebook.

In his opinion, it is necessary "either to vote on the English language bill in its current form, that is, without any interference in the field of cinema, or to reject it altogether (which is also an option, because in no EU country there is any law on English and this is in no way does not interfere with its study and application)."

As reported, the Ukrainian parliament adopted in the first reading bill No. 9432 on the use of the English language in Ukraine on November 22, 2023. On March 5, the relevant committee recommended that the Verkhovna Rada adopt the bill On the use of the English language in Ukraine at second reading and as a whole, but the other day the government asked to make the above-mentioned amendment to the bill.