A historic agreement between Hungary and Ukraine on the educational, cultural, language-use and political rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia has officially been finalised, Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on Friday on his Facebook page.
The prime minister wrote that the Ukrainian side had officially committed in a diplomatic note to implementing all points of the agreement and had also incorporated it into the European Union minority action plan.
“We managed to solve in a few weeks an issue that the Orbán government could not handle in ten years,” Péter Magyar wrote.
In a video uploaded alongside the post, the prime minister stressed that another major step had been taken toward guaranteeing the language-use, educational, cultural and political rights of Hungarians in Transcarpathia. The previously expert-level agreement had now also been approved at the political level.
“Moreover, we have also secured a European Union guarantee for the implementation of the bilateral agreement regulating the rights of Hungarians in Transcarpathia. Ukraine has officially incorporated the provisions of the Hungarian-Ukrainian bilateral agreement into the minority action plan prepared within the framework of its EU accession process. This means that the implementation of Ukraine’s commitments included in the Hungarian-Ukrainian minority rights agreement ensuring the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia has now become an EU expectation,” Péter Magyar said.
He added that the implementation of Ukraine’s commitments would be continuously monitored in the future by both the European Commission and the European Council.
Péter Magyar stated that if Ukraine failed to fulfil its commitments concerning the rights of the Hungarian minority on time, it would not be able to move forward in the accession process.
He added that since the Ukrainian government had formally committed to implementing the historic agreement in an official diplomatic note, and because these commitments had also been included in an official EU document, Hungary had been able to support the opening of the first accession cluster between the European Union and Ukraine on Monday, June 15, which he described as “only the first step in a long and complicated process.”
Regarding how long it can take for a candidate country to become a full EU member, he cited Montenegro as an example, noting that accession talks had started in 2012 and despite considerable progress, the country was still not a member of the Union.
Péter Magyar thanked all parties involved in the negotiations for their openness and support in reaching the agreement.
“I am convinced that the results achieved in just a few weeks will significantly contribute to bilateral relations based on mutual respect and understanding. Thanks to the current historic Hungarian-Ukrainian agreement, Hungarians living in Transcarpathia will regain rights that had previously been taken away and will also see expanded opportunities in education, public administration and culture,” the prime minister concluded in his video.
EU launches first phase of accession talks
European Union member states have agreed to open the first cluster of accession negotiation chapters with Ukraine and Moldova on Monday, laying the foundation for the EU accession process, António Costa, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, announced in a joint press statement.
In their joint declaration, the two leaders stressed that the European Union had taken a significant step forward.
At the first intergovernmental conference to be held on Monday, the cluster covering “fundamental issues” will be opened. This chapter group forms the backbone of the accession process and includes the EU’s core values and principles, ranging from the rule of law to strong democratic institutions.
According to the statement, the decision recognises the determination, courage and persistent efforts demonstrated by Ukraine and Moldova in advancing reforms despite extraordinary challenges.
They highlighted that the peace, stability and opportunities offered by the European Union are unmatched. Enlargement was described as a strategically important decision that strengthens peace, security and prosperity across Europe.
They stressed that in a world characterised by growing uncertainty, a larger European Union serves the common interest of all members, while enlargement remains one of the bloc’s greatest success stories and one of the most important investments in a shared future.
Artificial intelligence was used for the translation of parts of the original Hungarian text.
