Key bill to appease Hungary, advance EU membership lands in Ukraine's parliament
"I would like to thank all the experts - Hungarian and Ukrainian - for their constructive, forward-looking, and insightful work in the past weeks," said Hungary's Foreign Minister Anita Orban.
Ukraine's parliament officially registered a draft law on Oct. 1 that will expand education provisions for national minorities, potentially aiding the country's EU membership bid. The bill, to be voted on Oct. 12, was a key demand of Hungary to lift its veto on Ukraine's EU accession process. Prime Minister Peter Magyar emphasized the right to receive education in one's mother tongue, with the Hungarian government thanking experts for their constructive work.
The law would grant more autonomy to Ukraine's Hungarian-speaking community and other EU-language minorities in education. Approximately 80,000 ethnic Hungarians reside in Ukraine's western Zakarpattia Oblast. Schools with over 50% of pupils studying in a minority language may receive special status, requiring the head or deputy head to be proficient in the relevant language.
The bill also aims to prevent Russian language promotion campaigns. Hungary's EU membership hinges on six enlargement clusters, with Ukraine technically ready to open all six, but political opposition from countries like Poland has stalled progress. The next General Affairs Council is scheduled for Oct. 13, where formal decisions on EU membership talks could be made.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
