Ukraine passes minority rights law, paving way for breakthrough in EU accession talks
Ukraine’s parliament passed a minority rights law, easing a years-long dispute with Hungary. Diplomats expect Budapest to approve two more EU accession clusters on Tuesday, and Prime Minister Péter Magyar could meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Brussels on Thursday.
On Monday, Ukraine's parliament ratified a law enhancing minority rights, easing long-standing tensions with Hungary and paving the way for Kyiv to progress in its EU accession negotiations. The legislation, passed by 266 out of 450 deputies in the Verkhovna Rada, bolsters protections for minority language usage in schools and cultural events.
The approximately 100,000 ethnic Hungarians residing in Ukraine's Transcarpathia region have long been a source of diplomatic friction between Budapest and Kyiv. Under the previous Hungarian government, led by former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, talks on Ukraine's EU accession were stalled since 2023 due to the dispute. In June, new Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar signed an 11-point action plan with Ukraine, lifting the country's veto on opening the first two negotiating clusters.
However, Budapest made further progress contingent on Kyiv's formal adoption of the minority rights law. Following Monday's vote, diplomats anticipate Hungary to approve the opening of two additional clusters, dealing with the internal market and competitiveness, during an intergovernmental conference on Tuesday. This development could also potentially lead to the first bilateral meeting between Magyar and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Magyar has previously stated that the leaders could meet at the European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday. Prior to this, a scheduled meeting had been postponed due to Hungary's conditionality tied to minority rights progress. Deterioration in relations between Hungary and Ukraine intensified under Orbán's administration, which frequently clashed with Kyiv and impeded Ukraine's EU membership aspirations.
Orbán also ran an adversarial election campaign against Ukraine, portraying Kyiv as a security threat to Europe. After his resounding victory in April, Magyar pledged a more pragmatic stance towards Ukraine when he assumed office in May. However, tensions flared again in September when Magyar objected to Ukraine listing Hungary as a participant in Zelenskyy's Carpathian summit without his consent, while Sybiha accused him of echoing Orbán's rhetoric.
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