Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said yesterday that Hungary and Ukraine reached an agreement on the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, which could enable the approval of the first cluster, that is, a group of negotiating chapters, in Ukraine’s accession negotiations with the EU. Reuters reported.
The deal represents a potential breakthrough in a long-running dispute over minority rights that has strained relations between Budapest and Kiev and complicated Hungary’s support for Ukraine’s European ambitions.
Each step of the accession process, which is divided into chapters and clusters of policy areas, requires the approval of all EU member states.
“We achieved a breakthrough in our talks with Ukraine on the linguistic, cultural and educational rights of the ethnic Hungarian minority,” Magyar wrote in a Facebook post during an official visit to Paris.
Ukraine and Moldova are on the verge of formal negotiations for joining the EU
The Hungarian, who ousted his pro-Russian predecessor Viktor Orban in April elections, said yesterday that he is ready to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky next week to open a new chapter in relations, if an agreement on minority rights is reached.
Warmer relations between Hungary and Ukraine are key to European Union support for Kiev in Russia’s war against Ukraine, as Orbán has opposed sending billions of euros in aid to Ukraine and its EU membership.
Magyar, though less harsh on Kiev, reiterated that Budapest would support Ukraine’s progress towards the EU only if the rights of around 100,000 Hungarians were guaranteed.
According to the agreement, Kyiv should restore minority education, allow the use of the mother tongue in schools, exams in Hungarian and the use of national symbols.
What was agreed should be included in the laws and in the accessible action plan, but Budapest still does not accept accelerated membership negotiations for the time being.
Magyar’s party is proposing a law that would prevent Orbán from ever being prime minister again
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