Ukraine’s parliament in Kyiv passed a law strengthening the rights of national minorities on Monday 12 October, a step expected to unlock the next stage of Kyiv’s EU membership talks. The measure addresses a long-running dispute with Hungary, which had made further progress on Ukraine’s accession conditional on its adoption.
The Verkhovna Rada approved the law with 266 of its 450 deputies voting in favour. It strengthens protections for minority languages in schools and at cultural events. About 100,000 ethnic Hungarians live in Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region, and their treatment, especially the use of Hungarian in classrooms, has been at the centre of tensions between Kyiv and Budapest for years.
Hungary’s former government under Viktor Orbán had blocked progress in Ukraine’s accession talks since 2023 over the issue. Relations deteriorated sharply during Orbán’s time in office, and he fought an anti-Ukraine election campaign that portrayed Kyiv as a threat to European security. Péter Magyar, whose election ended Orbán’s long spell in power, won a landslide victory in April, took office in May and promised a more pragmatic approach. In June, his government agreed an 11-point action plan with Ukraine, under which Hungary lifted its veto on opening the first two negotiating clusters. Budapest said any further steps would depend on Kyiv formally adopting the minority rights law.
Opening a cluster allows negotiators to start work on the groups of EU law chapters it contains. With the law now passed, diplomats expect Hungary to approve two more clusters, covering the internal market and competitiveness, at an intergovernmental conference on Tuesday 13 October. The breakthrough could also lead to the first bilateral meeting between Magyar and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Magyar said over the weekend that the two leaders could meet at the European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday 15 October. An earlier planned meeting had been put on hold after Magyar linked it to progress on minority rights.
The relationship has not been free of friction under Magyar. In September, he clashed with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha over Hungary’s listing as a participant in Zelenskyy’s Carpathian summit, a project aimed at developing the region. Magyar objected that Ukraine had named Hungary without his approval, and Sybiha accused him of repeating Orbán’s rhetoric. The vote in Kyiv now puts the next move in Budapest’s hands.
