Ukraine passes minority education law, clearing the way for two EU negotiating clusters

The law passed in Kyiv

Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed on Monday, 12 October, a law on the educational rights of Indigenous peoples and persons belonging to national minorities (communities) of Ukraine, registered as bill No. 16119. The text won 266 votes, well above the majority needed in a 450-seat chamber. Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk had already signed it and sent it to President Volodymyr Zelensky, who signed it the same day. The law creates the status of a general secondary school of a national minority, available where 50% plus one of pupils study in the language of a national minority, and only for languages that are official EU languages. Ukrainian remains the language of instruction, committee chair Serhiy Babak has stressed.

What the law changes

In classes taught in such a language, pupils and teachers may use it alongside Ukrainian during lessons and in everyday communication inside the school and on its grounds. Schools may build their programmes around the history, culture, traditions and symbols of their communities. Parents of at least two-thirds of the pupils in a class can submit written requests to expand the list of subjects taught in Ukrainian. The amendments also cover school document registration, external assessment and the special status of such institutions.

Hungary's condition and the veto history

Hungary had made the law one of its key demands. Foreign Minister Anita Orban called it a necessary condition for continuing the talks, speaking at a meeting in Luxembourg. The dispute dates to 2017, when a law making Ukrainian the main language of instruction in secondary education led the government of then prime minister Viktor Orban to block Ukraine's accession talks. After Peter Magyar's pro-European majority took power, Hungary lifted its veto in June on opening negotiations, but kept accusing Kyiv of not fully meeting its commitments to the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia, where about 100,000 ethnic Hungarians live. Magyar agreed an 11-point action plan with Ukraine.

The EU cluster decision

Ireland's minister for European affairs, Thomas Byrne, wrote on X on Monday, 12 October, that all EU member states had agreed to open clusters 2 and 3 for Ukraine and Moldova. Those clusters cover the internal market and competitiveness and inclusive growth. Ireland currently holds the EU Council presidency. European Council President António Costa welcomed the decision and said the bloc wants to open the remaining clusters for both countries as soon as possible. Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos had said earlier that the two clusters would open on Tuesday provided parliament passed the law, and described Ukraine and Moldova as among four countries leading accession talks. The remaining clusters are Green agenda and sustainable connectivity, and Resources, agriculture and cohesion.

Timeline of the talks

The sequence runs from the 2017 dispute to the vote on Monday, 12 October. Cluster 1, Fundamentals, opened for Ukraine on 15 June after Hungary lifted its veto, and cluster 6, External relations, followed in July. The Rada vote and Zelensky's signature both came on Monday, 12 October. The next step is the formal opening of clusters 2 and 3 on Tuesday, 13 October.

What comes next

Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said the country expects the formal EU decision on clusters 2 and 3 on Tuesday, 13 October, and thanked the Hungarian side for its constructive position. He and Anita Orban met in Luxembourg on the sidelines of the EU Foreign Affairs Council on Monday, 12 October, where both sides welcomed the implementation of bilateral arrangements. Magyar called the adoption of the law a good signal, adding that much remains to be done before trust is restored, though the two leaders had taken first steps toward a solution. He told Helsingin Sanomat he plans to meet Zelensky, possibly in the week of 12 October in Brussels. A bilateral meeting could also take place on Thursday, 15 October, at the European Council summit in Brussels, which would be the first direct meeting between the two leaders.