Ethnic minorities still suffer from Ukrainian governmental decisions.Continue reading
Ukraine is ready to reach an agreement with Hungary on meeting EU requirements on the protection of the rights of national minorities, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna said at a press conference in Kiev on Thursday.
The politician also added that the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine are guaranteed. She rejected claims that Hungarians were particularly affected by Russian aggression against Ukraine. “The Hungarian minority has suffered much less than, say, the Greek minority in the Azov region,” she noted.
In her opinion, Hungary reserves the right to arbitrarily block Ukraine’s EU accession process, but she did not believe that the Hungarian issue should be the main obstacle in the EU enlargement process. “I am confident that we will be able to overcome this challenge. I am confident that we will find political understanding,” she stressed.
The deputy prime minister pointed out that
a dialogue with the EU is ongoing on how Ukraine is preparing to improve the protection of the Hungarian community in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian delegation presented Hungary with a detailed plan in September, including both practical steps, such as the provision of textbooks for native Hungarian speaking children, and plans for legislative amendments, she recalled. Asked whether Ukraine had any “red lines” for legislative changes, she said that “these amendments in no way affect the use of the Ukrainian language.”
Furthermore, in September, the Ukrainian Parliament adopted an amendment to the Minority Act, which still does not restore the rights of national minorities. The text of the amendment removes an important criterion for defining national minorities, namely that their representatives traditionally live on the territory of Ukraine.
Via MTI, Featured image: Facebook/KMKSZ – Kárpátaljai Magyar Kulturális Szövetség