Amid worries in Serbia over the declining use of the Cyrillic script, Belgrade city hall is introducing benefits for companies that promote the country’s traditional alphabet.
Worried by the declining use of their ancient script, councillors in the Serbian capital, Belgrade on Friday adopted a decision to reward companies that promote use of Cyrillic.
The adopted by-law offers a 5-per-cent discount to companies and people who rent city-owned offices if they write their names in Cyrillic.
“Starbucks and McDonalds have their own Cyrillic names in countries where this is the official script. If they [companies] estimate that this is in their interest, I think it will be accepted.
“The [company] name can be emphasized in both scripts,” an advisor to Belgrade mayor Andrija Mladenovic said on Friday, Beta news agency reported.
He added that this does not mean the city was trying to downgrade use of the Latin alphabet, and repeated that this would not be an obligation but a kind of incentive.
“The city will look much nicer. This will give a nice picture of our city to foreign tourists. And it’s also a way to encourage our institutions to protect the Cyrillic script,” Mladenovic added.
Deputy Mayor Goran Vesic explained on Thursday when announcing the changes that the city wants “to help preserve the Cyrillic alphabet.”
He called the Cyrillic alphabet “our original script” and added that local authorities have an obligation to do everything to promote and protect it.
“We want to encourage other local governments in Serbia, as well as other state institutions, to do more to protect the Cyrillic alphabet,” Vesic said, adding that Belgrade city authorities are considering other benefits for Cyrillic-friendly companies.
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