FM Szijjártó: All Hungary’s criteria for starting EU accession talks with Ukraine included in framework document

All of the criteria defined by Hungary have been incorporated in the EU framework document drafted on starting accession talks with Ukraine, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said on Facebook on Friday evening.

He referred to heavy debates in the EU in the past days and weeks over the sort of criteria Brussels should set for starting those talks.

Szijjártó reiterated Hungary’s position that respecting the rights of national minorities by Ukraine should be set as a criterion “for any further steps”.

“Some member states did not want to hear about this criterion, but we made it clear that we insist on restoring the rights to the ethnic Hungarian community to preserve their national identity, the use of their mother tongue and to Hungarian language education,” the foreign minister said.

Welcoming the agreement reached on Friday evening in Brussels on incorporating of all of the criteria set by Hungary, Szijjártó said “we now have a document from Brussels establishing that Ukraine must restore the rights taken away from ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia over the past years”.

Andrea Bocskor, an MEP of ruling Fidesz for Transcarpathia, on Saturday, called the adoption of the document a “significant Hungarian diplomatic success”, which she said was a serious achievement for Transcarpathian Hungarians in terms of regaining their rights lost in recent years.

She noted that Ukraine must draw up a minority action plan with the involvement of Hungarian representatives and resolve the problems listed in the 11 points presented by the Hungarian foreign ministry which would also be reviewed by the European Commission.

Viktória Ferenc, also an MEP of ruling Fidesz, said that “it fills me with joy and confidence that the legal protection of Transcarpathian Hungarians is officially part of Ukraine’s accession process, and this way it is no longer a bilateral but a European issue”.

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