Ukraine and Hungary have reached a comprehensive agreement to expand the linguistic, educational, cultural and political rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia.
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar reported this on Facebook.
According to Magyar, negotiations between Ukrainian and Hungarian experts, political organizations of Hungarians in Transcarpathia, and church representatives lasted three weeks.
He claims that the Ukrainian government has agreed to enact changes to the legislation in the near future. Among the agreements is the restoration of the system of schools for national minorities.
The Hungarian language is planned to be used more widely not only during education, but also in school documentation and internal communication. Students will also be able to use Hungarian symbols, and certificates and diplomas, according to Magyar, can be issued in Hungarian.
In addition, Hungarian-speaking students will be able to take final and entrance exams in their native language, and the list of subjects taught in Ukrainian in schools for national minorities will be expanded only after agreement with parents.
Also, according to the Hungarian Prime Minister, in settlements where the Hungarian community makes up more than 10% of the population, it is planned to expand the use of the Hungarian language and national symbols. This concerns, in particular, the sphere of medicine, cultural and sports events, as well as certain aspects of political life.
Magyar said that these agreements should be included in the list of steps that Ukraine must take to join the EU. According to him, after this, Budapest is ready to support the opening of the first cluster of negotiations on Ukraineʼs EU membership.
- In 2024, then-Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban presented Ukraine with a list of 11 demands in order to unblock its path to the European Union. They were related to the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia and access to education in the Hungarian language.
- After coming to power, Péter Magyar also insisted on fulfilling similar conditions. Consultations between Kyiv and Budapest on this issue began in late May.
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