Ukraine’s parliament on Monday 12 October passed a law strengthening protections for minority languages in schools and at cultural events, with 266 of the 450 deputies in the Verkhovna Rada voting in favour, according to Euronews.
The vote matters because Hungary had made further progress in Ukraine’s EU accession talks conditional on Kyiv formally adopting such legislation, the outlet reported. Diplomats now expect Budapest to approve the opening of two more negotiating clusters.
A Dispute Over Schools and Languages
The rights of roughly 100,000 ethnic Hungarians living in Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region have strained relations between Budapest and Kyiv for years, Euronews said. The previous Hungarian government, led by former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, had blocked progress in Ukraine’s EU accession talks since 2023 over the dispute.
The tone shifted after Péter Magyar took office as prime minister in May, following his election victory in April. In June, Euronews reported, he agreed an 11-point action plan with Ukraine and lifted Hungary’s veto on opening the first two negotiating clusters, while keeping further steps tied to the minority-rights legislation. Tensions resurfaced in September, when Magyar criticised Ukraine for listing Hungary as a participant in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Carpathian summit without his approval, and Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, accused him of echoing Orbán’s rhetoric.
The Calendar Ahead
According to the report, diplomats expect Hungary to approve two additional clusters, covering the internal market and competitiveness, at an intergovernmental conference on Tuesday. Magyar said over the weekend that he and Zelenskyy could hold their first bilateral meeting at the European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday, after an earlier meeting was put on hold when Magyar made talks conditional on progress over minority rights.
Why It Matters
The vote turns a diplomatic commitment into domestic law, which Budapest had made a condition of further progress. The sources reviewed do not say when the law takes effect or how Hungary’s government has responded to the text. Tuesday’s conference will be the first test of whether the vote unlocks the next clusters, and Thursday’s summit of whether the leaders meet.
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