An amendment to the Military Service Act taking effect on January 1 will introduce a requirement for conscripts to have at least B1-level proficiency in Estonian. To ensure compliance, a government regulation has been drafted establishing a uniform framework for assessing conscripts' language proficiency and organizing language instruction.

According to the explanatory memorandum, the new requirement aims to ensure that conscripts have sufficient language skills to participate safely and effectively in military training conducted in Estonian.

Not all conscripts will have to demonstrate their language proficiency separately, as their records will first be checked against national databases.

"The Defense Resources Agency (KRA) will first determine a conscript's language proficiency level based on data from the Estonian Education Information System and the national test database. This approach will prevent situations in which conscripts have to take a language proficiency exam solely to demonstrate skills already documented in national databases," the explanatory memorandum states.

If the agency is unable to establish a conscript's language proficiency from these records, it will refer them to the national B1-level Estonian language exam administered by the Education and Youth Board. Before assigning a conscript to language classes, their actual proficiency level will be assessed, if necessary, through a separate placement test administered by the Integration Foundation.

Language lessons also online

The state will provide conscripts who do not meet the language proficiency requirement with one free language course. The amount of instruction will depend on participants' initial proficiency levels, ranging from 100 to 250 academic hours.

As not everyone can attend traditional in-person classes, online learning options will also be available. "Language instruction may combine in-person and online learning. This flexibility is particularly necessary when a conscript's place of residence, distance from the training location or other practical circumstances make it difficult to attend regular in-person classes," the authors of the explanatory memorandum said.

As attending courses and exams may involve additional expenses, the law also provides for reimbursement of travel and meal costs. For example, conscripts attending in-person classes will receive €15 for each class attended, up to a maximum of €150 for the entire course, while those traveling from abroad will be eligible for higher reimbursements.

The total cost of implementing the regulation is estimated at approximately €400,000 annually, covering exams, language courses and associated reimbursements.

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