Speaking to journalists after the government's meeting on Monday, the minister has said discussions are still in progress as to whether the name-spelling scheme would be envisaged in a law or some other type of legislation.
"I had a meeting with our specialists working in the task force. I think we will submit a solution to the government by the end of this month," said Bernatonis.
"So far, I cannot give any specifics, there are a few possible versions (...). The issue will definitely be settled, it will be settled in a civilized manner and in line with the Constitution and European traditions," the minister said.
The government has authorized the Justice Ministry to work out a bill, which would allow the use of non-Lithuanian characters in ID documents, a move in response to repeated requests from the Polish-speaking community in Lithuania. The issue is also of some relevance to Lithuanian citizens who are married to foreigners.
Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court said in 1999 that "a person's first and last name should be spelled in the passport in the official language," as it would “otherwise deny the Constitutional status of the official language." Lithuanian is the only official language in the country.
In April 2010, parliament voted down the draft law prepared by the government of Conservative PM Andrius Kubilius, which suggested allowing Latin characters in the original spelling of first and last names.
