The Parliament adopted a draft law on the rights of national minorities. This is required for joining the EU

In the second reading, the Ukrainian Parliament (VRU — the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine) supported draft law No. 10288-1 on amendments to some laws of Ukraine regarding taking into account the expert assessment of the Council of Europe and its bodies, which concern the rights of national minorities.

The MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak wrote about it.

317 MPs voted for it. All factions worked on this version of the draft law.

Adoption of draft law No. 10288-1 is another requirement of the European Commission. It is important for further European integration of Ukraine.

The draft law provides for the following changes:

• the protection of the right to use the languages of national minorities of Ukraine is ensured by the human rights representative of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine;
• guaranteeing the right to use the language of the national minority in the educational process along with the state language;
• expanding the right to use the languages of national minorities in media and publishing activities.

For example, private institutions of higher education will have the right to freely choose the language of instruction, which is an official language of the EU (teaching one, several or all disciplines, performing individual tasks and carrying out supervision), while ensuring the study of the state language as a separate academic discipline.

At the same time, it is proposed to add a provision to the law that the expansion of minority language rights does not apply to the state language of the aggressor country, i.e. Russian.

Before that, the Committee on Ukraineʼs EU Integration recognized that the draft law does not contradict Ukraineʼs international legal obligations in the field of European integration. At the same time, the committee believes that it should be revised.

• In early November, the President of Ukraine signed the law "On National Minorities (Communities) of Ukraine". It provides for free textbooks for schoolchildren belonging to national minorities, the possibility to use the languages of national minorities in advertising, events and during the provision of emergency aid, etc.
• On June 23, Ukraine officially became a candidate for membership of the European Union. The European Commission has approved certain conditions that Ukraine must fulfill in order to start official accession negotiations. The candidate status gives Ukraine access to special financial funds of the European Union, at the expense of which reforms in countries are financed so that they meet the criteria necessary for full membership in the EU.