Hungarian PM stated that a comprehensive agreement with Ukraine has been reached

“Ukraine and Hungary have reached an agreement on expanding the linguistic, educational, cultural, and political rights of the Hungarian minority. This was announced by Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar”, - Suspilne.News reported on June 3.

“In three weeks, we managed to achieve what Viktor Orbán and his team failed to achieve in ten years. We have reached a comprehensive agreement with Ukraine on expanding the linguistic, educational, cultural, and political rights of the Hungarian minority, which numbers hundreds of thousands of people”, - Magyar wrote on Facebook.

He noted that the agreement is the result of several weeks of intensive negotiations at the level of Hungarian and Ukrainian experts, with the participation of political organizations of the Hungarian community in Zakarpattia and the church.

Magyar also stated that the Ukrainian government has committed to implementing the agreed measures into its legislation in the near future.

According to him, among other things, the Ukrainian side has committed to restoring the system of national minority schools. The Hungarian language will be freely used not only in the educational process but also in all areas of school communication. Students of national minority schools will be able to freely use Hungarian symbols in the future. At ceremonial events, they will be allowed to perform the Hungarian anthem, use the national flag, and display Hungarian-language inscriptions in schools. School administration may also be conducted in Hungarian. Certificates and diplomas may also be issued in Hungarian.

“The Ukrainian side guaranteed that national minority schools will be preserved even with a smaller number of students”, - Magyar noted.

“Our agreement and the commitments of the Ukrainian side also extend to language rights. In settlements where the share of the Hungarian population exceeds 10%, the free use of Hungarian national symbols will be permitted in the future. The Hungarian language will also be freely used in the provision of medical services, at sporting events, and at scientific conferences. The language of political activity in these settlements may also be Hungarian. Political campaigns may be conducted in Hungarian, ballots will also be available in Hungarian, and announcements and informational materials may be published in Hungarian. Ukraine’s commitments will also be reflected in the action plan that Ukraine must implement before the European Union. If this happens, the Hungarian government will consent to opening the first cluster of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession”, - Magyar added.

At the same time, he emphasized that Hungary, as before, does not support accelerated EU accession negotiations. If Ukraine manages to close all 33 chapters of the accession negotiations within 10 or 15 years, Hungary will hold a legally binding referendum on the issue.

Magyar had previously stated his readiness to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after resolving the issue of the rights of the Hungarian minority in Zakarpattia. The sides are discussing 11 points concerning educational, cultural, and language rights.