Ukraine will not make exceptions for Hungarian minority to open path to EU

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Ukraine is conducting individual negotiations with countries whose minorities live on its territory to fulfil the European Commission’s criteria for opening accession talks with the EU, but it will not make “special exceptions” for any minority.

Source: Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, in an interview with Ukrainian Pravda journalist Sofia Sereda

Details: According to Stefanishyna, the fact that Budapest “makes the most noise” about the Hungarian minority in Ukraine “does not mean that the Hungarian minority in Ukraine has any special problems at all.”

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“We are in the same dialogue, for example, with the Romanian side. The Romanian minority is one of the largest minorities in Ukraine. Similarly, Moldova has recognised Romanian as a national language, and now the Romanian-speaking population in Ukraine will increase. But we are in dialogue and there is no such noise,” she added.

The official explained that Ukraine will change the legislation on national minorities primarily in view of the issues with the educational process.

“Our stage of transition to a new level of legislative regulation is more progressive. It will also create clarity on the places, meaning that educators on the ground, in Zakarpattia and other oblasts of Ukraine, will have more clarity on how to organise the educational process,” Stefanishyna said.

Background: 

• On 8 November, the European Commission recommended to the European Council to start accession negotiations with Moldova and Ukraine. The final decision on the start of negotiations is to be taken by the leaders of the member states at a meeting on 14-15 December.
• In recent days, there have been signals from the EU that they may not support the launch of accession talks with Ukraine at the December summit. The possibility of postponing this decision beyond March is allegedly being considered due to a lack of unity in the EU. Hungary has publicly promised to block any decision positive for Kyiv.

Read more: What Ukraine needs to do to overcome Orban’s veto and open EU accession negotiations

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