MEPs ask EU leaders to press Ukraine on education law

MEPs have turned to European Union leaders in a letter, outlining the way the Ukrainian education law restricts minorities’ rights and asking them to put pressure on Ukraine to find a satisfactory solution, Andrea Bocskor, MEP of ruling Fidesz-KDNP, said in a statement on Thursday.

Hungarian, Romanian, Slovak, Bulgarian and Polish MEPs signed the letter sent to MEP head Antonio Tajani, Federica Mogherini, the high representative of foreign and security affairs, and Johannes Hahn, commissioner for neighbourhood policy and enlargement negotiations, Bocskor, who launched the initiative, said.

The signatories called for the EU heads to monitor how Ukraine implements the Venice Commission’s recommendations. Two months after their publication, Ukraine has yet to make changes, Bocskor said.

The EU leader’s influence will hopefully tip that balance, she said.

Ukrainian president Petro Porosenko signed an amendment to the education law on September 25. The amendment restricted minority language education to kindergarten and elementary school. Later that year, the Venice Commission has issued recommendations calling for Ukraine to respect the acquired rights of ethnic minorities.

Source: MTI