Despite last year's promising start, the full legal restoration of the minority rights of Transcarpathian Hungarians has still not taken place.

The time has come to fully restore the minority rights of Transcarpathian Hungarians and other minorities within a legal framework, for this Ukraine must put into practice the commitments regarding the rights of national minorities - stated Viktória Ferenc, Member of the European Parliament of Fidesz-KDNP, member of the Patriots for Europe faction in his statement.

In connection with the fact that at the meeting of the delegation delegated to the EU-Ukraine Association Committee in the European Parliament, the MEP representatives exchanged views with Olga Stefanisina, the Deputy Prime Minister responsible for the European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine and the Minister of Justice,

Ferenc Viktória said: despite the promising start last December, the full legal restoration of the minority rights of Transcarpathian Hungarians has still not taken place.

He called the amending law No. 12,086 prepared for the Education Act of Ukraine a cause for concern, the purpose of which, as he said, is to create a Ukrainian language environment in educational institutions. In addition to the violation of basic human rights, the adoption of this draft law would also result in the restriction of the right of national minorities to use their mother tongue, he emphasized.

The EP representative added: if the proposed amendments are accepted, the use of minority languages ​​would be limited to classroom activities only. However, outside of the lessons, only the state language would be allowed, he underlined.

According to him, the draft law would prohibit the use of minority languages, including Hungarian, in private contacts. It stipulates the mandatory use of the state language, Ukrainian, during breaks, in teachers' rooms, on the school grounds and outside of school hours, he added.

According to the information of Ferenc Viktória, Olga Sztefanisina said at the meeting that the Ukrainian parliament monitors all initiatives that to some extent affect the issues that are the subject of the EU accession process. According to the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, no restrictions similar to the ones mentioned were included in the bills submitted to the government, as they violate freedoms in addition to the use of language, added Olga Sztefanisina, according to the statement.

Viktória Ferenc emphasized that the time has come to fully restore the minority rights of Transcarpathian Hungarians and other minorities within legal frameworks.

I hope that the Ukrainian government and the minorities will be able to cooperate in a constructive way, with the involvement of real representatives of the minorities, in order to achieve this goal - concluded the member of the European Parliament of Fidesz-KDNP.

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MTI

Cover photo: Viktória Ferenc, Fidesz EP representative
Source: Facebook/Viktória Ferenc