Filenews 5 May 2022
The Plenum of the Parliament amended the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, so that there is the possibility of using the English language in the commercial court under establishment and the Maritime Court, which will hear major commercial disputes.
The amendment to Article 3 of the Constitution was approved by 39 votes in favour, 12 against and one abstention.
During the debate, MPs expressed strong disagreements with this amendment of the Constitution, highlighting the need to preserve the Greek and Turkish languages as official languages of the Republic of Cyprus, even talking about a development that may pose risks in the future.
According to Article 3 of the Constitution, the official languages of the Republic are Greek and Turkish and the proceedings before the courts are conducted and decisions are drawn up in Greek, if the parties are Greek, in Turkish, if the parties are Turkish, and in Greek and Turkish, if the parties are Greek and Turkish.
The law passed provides for a limitation of the possibility of using the English language in proceedings conducted only before the Commercial Court and the Maritime Court. It is clarified that proceedings before a court include the registration of a pleading or an application or the filing of a document or testimony and, on the other hand, that the use of English is permitted when drawing up court decisions or decrees.
It is also possible to use English by a court superior to the Commercial Court and the Maritime Court, when the higher court examines or controls decisions or decrees thereof.
