Hungary and Ukraine have recently reached an agreement in order to restore the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine. The agreement defines basic rights in language, education, social and political, and cultural spheres. The Ukrainian side undertook to expand the range of rights of the Hungarian minority in settlements where ethnic Hungarians make up more than 10% of the population.

This article was written by our reader, P. M.

These are key known points from the agreement:

  • Names of streets, squares, and plates on buildings of local administrations must be translated into Hungarian
  • People may address local authorities using the Hungarian language, and local officials must speak it
  • Agitation for elections, voting rules, and ballot papers at local elections must be translated into Hungarian
  • Public events may be held in Hungarian. People are allowed to use Hungarian national symbols, but they can’t dominate Ukrainian ones
  • Educational facilities with Hungarian-speaking groups get the “school of national minority” status. Such schools must have a Hungarian-speaking principal and a vice principal.  Students and teachers have a right to speak Hungarian in schools off-hours
  • Educational diplomas and certificates must be translated into Hungarian. Tasks of national exams (except Ukrainian language and History) must be translated too

The agreement was signed in June this year; however, Kyiv’s been slow to meet Budapest’s requirements, and, unfortunately, things are staying the same for the Hungarian minority in Ukraine now.

Who has the right to represent the Hungarian minority in Ukraine?

A bilateral group working on ensuring the rights of ethnic Hungarians was established after signing for rapid response to possible violations. From the Ukrainian side, we have non-governmental organisations and influencers. However, there is a nuance. There is a rising concern that Kyiv doesn’t fulfil the agreements responsibly.

Rumour has it that the group doesn’t consist of the largest organisations representing the Hungarian diaspora in Ukraine or organisations which are trusted not only by the local minority but also by Budapest, but consists of little-known regional organisations, which don’t even have any political representation in local authorities. For example, one of the participants of the group is Boris Vashkeba, a chairman of a small and rather young organisation called “Transcarpathian Society of Hungarians”.

It’s legitimate to ask about such organisations’ right to fully represent the interests of the community and about the appropriateness of their presence in important groups like this one.

Are the rights of the Hungarian minority a loophole for Ukraine’s EU accession?

There is also a certain point of view that Kyiv has agreed to this deal only in order to make Hungary stop interfering with negotiations on Ukraine’s EU accession. However, it didn’t work out. Only two (Fundamentals and External Relations) of the six negotiation clusters were opened. Budapest refused to approve screening results for the Internal Market and Competitiveness clusters on 1 September, for the third time since July.

The situation is pissing Ukrainian officials off, so they continue to blame Budapest for halting Ukraine’s EU integration. Despite this, Magyar states that Ukraine, like any other country, should have no privileges for EU accession and promises to open the other clusters only when all agreements are implemented, including the ones concerning ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine.

Fate of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine remains uncertain

After signing the agreement this summer, Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Orban claims that Ukraine’s accession process will automatically be halted if Ukraine fails to comply with the minority agreement. It’s reported that Ukraine undertook to implement education measures by the end of 2026, and social and political measures in 2027. It’s also reported that there would be an audit soon, which would determine if there was any work being done in this field.

Meanwhile, Magyar has recently said that Hungary doesn’t see enough progress made by Ukraine in complying with the agreement and once again has confirmed that the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine are a very important problem for Hungary. That’s why Budapest voted against the EU’s initiative to stop granting temporary protection to military-age Ukrainian men.

Magyar explained that many people escaping from Ukraine to Hungary belong to Ukraine’s Hungarian minority, which his government tries to protect. Nevertheless, Kyiv keeps repeating that it’s illegal to cross the border for military-age men in Ukraine now.

Featured image: illustration, depositphotos.com