{
  "id": 13987016,
  "title": "For years, Hungary tied Ukraine’s whole EU course to ethnic Hungarians’ language rights. Kyiv has now passed the schooling law meant to lift the block",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/for-years-hungary-tied-ukraines-whole-eu-course-to-ethnic-hungarians",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-12T15:19:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euromaidan Press",
    "slug": "euromaidan-press",
    "url": "https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/10/12/for-years-hungary-tied-ukraines-whole-eu-course-to-ethnic-hungarians-language-rights-kyiv-has-now-passed-the-schooling-law-meant-to-lift-the-block/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ukraine has overcome a significant hurdle in its path towards EU membership talks, with Kyiv's parliament passing a bill on schooling in minority languages. This legislation, which garnered support from 266 out of 450 lawmakers, aims to lift Hungary's block on opening four negotiating clusters of Ukraine's membership process. These clusters, which cover the internal market and competitiveness, have been under Hungary's control due to its concern over the treatment of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine's Zakarpattia region, where roughly 80,000 ethnic Hungarians reside.\n\nThe new law maintains Ukrainian as the primary language of education while permitting classes in minority languages where they exist. Minority students are allowed to learn in the official languages of EU member states alongside Ukrainian, and may use their language in other forms of communication within their school environment. A school can be designated a national-minority institution if more than half of its students study in that minority language, provided it is an official EU language. Parents of at least two-thirds of a minority class can also request the school to expand the range of subjects taught in Ukrainian.\n\nThe dispute over minority-language schooling has been ongoing for years. In 2017, Ukraine's education law and 2019 language law were seen as a reduction in minority-language schooling, with more Ukrainian being introduced in secondary grades. Then-Hungarian leader Viktor Orban perceived these changes as an attack on the Hungarians of Zakarpattia, leading to a block on Kyiv's NATO and EU progress for several years. Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine might hold elections if Russia agrees to a 60-day ceasefire.",
  "summary": "Hungary had blocked four stages of Ukraine’s membership process over the matter.",
  "key_points": [
    "Ukraine's parliament passed a bill on schooling in minority languages.",
    "Law aims to lift Hungary's block on EU negotiations.",
    "Law maintains Ukrainian as primary language, allows minority language classes."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}