Hungary complains to EU again about oppression of Hungarians in Ukraine – Radio Liberty

The flag of Hungary. Photo: Getty Images

Hungary has sent a letter to the other EU member states complaining about the protection of Ukraine’s Hungarian national minority.

Source: Radio Liberty, which has the letter in its possession, as reported by European Pravda

Details: In the letter, Hungary reiterates its demand that the rights of national minorities of Ukraine’s Hungarian community should be restored to pre-2015 levels. This includes the free use of the Hungarian language in Ukraine and the right to political representation at regional and national levels.

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“Despite past promises, the needs of the Hungarian community in Ukraine have been ignored, for example, with regard to determining which subjects are to be taught in Ukrainian in Hungarian-minority schools,” the letter states.

Budapest has also complained about changes in the population ratio following administrative district boundary changes in Ukraine that remove the justification for the minimum 10% minority representation for language rights, and is demanding its own delegate to the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament).

Guaranteeing minority rights is one of the key requirements for Ukraine’s further progress towards EU membership.

Background:

• In December, an updated law on national minorities came into force in Ukraine that took recommendations made by the Venice Commission into account. The law also received a positive assessment from Hungarian communities living in Ukraine.
• Hungary’s letter emerged after it became known that a bilateral meeting between Ukrainian and Hungarian officials is to take place next week.

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