Ukraine passes minority-language education law addressing Hungary's EU accession demands
Ukraine's parliament has passed legislation expanding educational rights for national minorities and Indigenous peoples, addressing a longstanding dispute with Hungary that has complicated Kyiv's European Union accession process.
Ukraine's parliament approved the legislation on October 12, with 266 lawmakers voting in favor of bill No. 16119 in its final reading.
The bill expands opportunities to use minority languages that are official languages of the European Union, as well as Indigenous languages, alongside Ukrainian in schools.
According to its explanatory note, the changes would allow these languages to be used more widely in communication among students, teachers and other participants in school life, including outside classroom instruction.
Schools teaching in minority or Indigenous languages would be able to obtain a special legal status and incorporate the history, cultural heritage and traditions of their communities into educational programs.
The legislation also provides safeguards for students if such schools are closed or reorganized, allowing parents to request continued education in the relevant language at another school with the appropriate status.
Students who received secondary education in another language would also be able to request translated examination and entrance-test materials, except for language subjects.
Ukrainian would retain its role as the state language of education.
Why it matters for EU accession
The language rights of ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine's western Zakarpattia region have long been a source of friction between Kyiv and Budapest.
Hungary has used concerns over minority rights as a reason to obstruct parts of Ukraine's EU accession process.
The two governments held consultations on the issue, and Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar previously announced an agreement to expand educational, cultural and language rights for ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine.
Hungary subsequently agreed to allow progress toward opening the second and third clusters of Ukraine's EU accession negotiations after the legislation was introduced and approved by a parliamentary committee.
The bill's explanatory note explicitly links the changes to Ukraine's EU integration commitments and says the European Commission was consulted during its preparation.
Parliament instructed its speaker to sign the legislation without delay and forward it to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The law still requires the president's signature before it can enter into force.
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