In brief
Deputy Prime Minister Ivo Hristov praised Bulgaria’s language as a national treasure and urged the protection of that language through legislation. In a television interview on Saturday, he criticized opponents and explained why he thinks a legal framework would still be valuable, even if it cannot prevent language evolution entirely. Hristov also cited the example of a long‑standing language protection law in France, while stressing that a law could act like a ‘corset’ and refer to the evolving nature of language.
In an interview with Bulgarian National Television that aired on Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister Ivo Hristov explained why he believes the recently passed language bill should see enforcement as part of a legal framework that protects the Bulgarian language. According to Hristov, the official bill – which was adopted by Parliament on November 11, 2026 – could function as a safeguard for a language he describes as a national treasure.
Hristov said, "The question is: if someone disagrees with the proposal, how can they make their own suggestions to improve it? That is the constructive approach, but I do not understand why the Bulgarian language bill is being rejected. […] I am very surprised that writers are speaking out against the Bulgarian language bill. That is their profession – they use the Bulgarian language and write in it. What is wrong with protecting the Bulgarian language by law, just as many other languages are protected?" The Deputy Prime Minister framed the bill as an attempt to give the language a formal status, noting that many nations have enacted statutes to preserve linguistic heritage.
Rationale for a Legal Framework
When asked who would regulate the Bulgarian language, Hristov noted that experience demonstrates that statutory protection in other countries often proves limited. He referred to France’s longstanding legal safeguards, acknowledging that while those laws have been in place for years, they rarely succeed in stopping the dynamism of a living language. Hristov highlighted that language is a self‑generating system that continuously incorporates loanwords, creates new expressions, and rejects or incorporates syntactic forms over time.
Ivo Hristov also added, "Language is constantly changing. It can be used to diagnose the state of society, but a law like that is a kind of corset that keeps the backbone of the language straight. I am not saying it would succeed, it is possible that it may not, but the very idea of such a law is not flawed." He maintained that protecting linguistic heritage through legislation is not opposed to natural evolution; rather, it offers a framework that can safeguard key linguistic structures while allowing organic change to continue.
The Deputy Prime Minister’s comments came as the Bulgarian language bill passed the final votes in Parliament of a narrow majority. Some opponents of the bill announced their disapproval in an online forum, citing concerns that the law would curb creativity. Hristov, however, maintained that the law could provide a common agreement on essential aspects of Bulgarian language use, much as other nations have sought to preserve their official tongues.
Across different perspectives, the debate over the Bulgarian language bill signals a broader conversation about the role of state policy in the protection of a language. While Hristov emphasizes that a legal framework might not stop all changes, he argues it remains a meaningful tool for acknowledging a language’s cultural value. Whether or not lawmakers reach a consensus on how the law should be enforced, the Deputy Prime Minister stands behind the idea that Bulgarian language deserves protection on par with other languages that are legislatively recognized worldwide.
