The Estonian Ministry of Culture published draft regulations outlining the conditions of Estonian language training for beneficiaries of international protection, including provisions for the payment of compensation to the state in cases of discontinuation of Estonian language courses.

According to current regulations, an adult beneficiary of international protection (including temporary protection) is obliged to attend the adaptation training programme and A1-level Estonian language courses that are offered free of charge by the Estonian state. The draft regulations state that if a beneficiary of international protection fails to fulfil the commitments made when registering for Estonian language studies, the language training provider will charge him or her for the language training costs incurred. 

The introduction of the draft follows increased demand for language training that outweighs supply, and observed low motivation on the part of forced migrants to adapt to their new society. Challenges are compounded by the fact that most of the procedures can be carried out in Russian, which is a very common language among international protection beneficiaries.

Those who discontinue their language training must reimburse the cost of the training within six months of the date on which the request for reimbursement is issued. A language training provider may exempt an individual from the obligation to reimburse their language training costs, or reduce the amount to be reimbursed, where the individual has a 'good reason' for their discontinuation.