Ukrainian government ready for compromise with Hungary on language and education, but there is red line

OLHA STEFANISHYNA. PHOTO: FACEBOOK

Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, is sure that Ukraine will reach an agreement with Hungary on the level of fulfilment of EU requirements for the protection of the rights of national minorities.

Source: Olha Stefanishyna at a press conference in Kyiv on 9 November, as reported by European Pravda.

Stefanishyna emphasised that she is primarily focused on ensuring the rights of Ukrainian citizens of Hungarian origin and that she does not see this issue being as problematic as the actions and statements of the Hungarian government would make it seem.

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Quote: “We separate the issue of the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine and the demands of the Hungarian government raising this issue. Because the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine are ensured,” she said.

The Deputy Prime Minister also rejected statements that Hungarians are particularly affected by Russian aggression. “The Hungarian minority suffered much less than, say, the Greek minority of Pryazovia [territories on the coast of the Sea of Azov – ed.],” she noted.

Olha Stefanishyna admits that Hungary retains the right to arbitrarily block the process of Ukraine’s accession to the EU, but she “does not believe that the Hungarian problem should be considered as the main one in the process of EU enlargement”.

“I am sure that we will be able to overcome this challenge as well. I am sure that we will find a political understanding,” she said.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that a dialogue with the EU is currently underway on how Ukraine will improve the protection of representatives of the Hungarian community. In September, the Ukrainian delegation handed Hungary a detailed plan, including both practical steps, such as providing Hungarian-speaking children with textbooks, and plans to change legislation.

Asked whether there are red lines in legislative changes in Ukraine, Stefanishyna answered: “These changes will definitely not concern the knowledge of the Ukrainian language.”

Background:

• Stefanishyna insisted that the issue of protecting the Russian minority is not raised in the negotiations with the EU on minority rights, as the Russian minority does not exist in Ukraine.
• Russian propaganda media claim that the European Commission, while assessing Ukraine’s readiness to join the European Union, will not take into account the situation with the Russian language in Ukraine.

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