This would meet the request of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has so far rejected EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and has repeatedly criticized the language law.
The new draft law aims to delete the paragraph that restricts the right to use the mother tongue of minorities in the classroom. The law was intended primarily to suppress the Russian language. The move would remove the “poisonous tooth” of diplomatic tensions between Ukraine and Hungary and could lead to a turning point in relations between the two countries, the online portal Telex.hu reported.
According to the portal, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal presented the recommendation to representatives of Ukrainian minorities on Friday. Shmyhal described the adoption of the amendment before the summit as extremely important because it could decide the start of negotiations for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, of which the Hungarian government is considered the biggest opponent. If the bill is approved in parliament, it will become clear whether Hungary’s right-wing nationalist Fidesz party is using the language law only as an excuse, according to the online portal Nepszava.hu.
László Šubaniks, President of the Hungarian Democratic Assembly of Ukraine (UMDSZ), assured Telex.hu that amending the law would be proof that Ukraine decided to reform and understood that EU expectations must be met. European Council President Charles Michel is scheduled to arrive in Budapest on Monday to hold negotiations with Orban. According to Telex.hu, it will certainly also be about starting EU accession negotiations with Ukraine.
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