Hungary says progress has been made in securing minority rights for the Hungarian community in Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region, with Kyiv beginning preparations for the legislation needed to implement previous commitments.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán said on Monday that the latest developments marked a step forward in efforts to protect the rights of ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia. She said she had spoken three times with Hungary’s consul general in Uzhhorod over the previous 48 hours, as Ukraine’s education ministry had begun preparing the necessary legislation.

Hungary and Ukraine resume minority talks

Orbán recalled that minority rights consultations between Hungary and Ukraine resumed on 20 May. Since then, she said, the two sides had secured concrete commitments from Kyiv. Under the agreement, Ukraine has pledged to incorporate the minority rights discussed during the negotiations into national legislation.

According to Orbán, the first tangible result has already emerged. Following a decision by the Ukrainian government on 15 July, the network of small educational institutions will be preserved from 1 September, while their state funding will also continue.

The issue is particularly significant for Hungary’s community in Transcarpathia, where access to education in the Hungarian language has been a long-standing concern.

EU also links minority plan to talks

Hungary has also sought to ensure that Ukraine’s obligations are reflected at EU level. At Hungary’s initiative, the European Union has stipulated that Ukraine’s minority action plan must be brought into line with the results of the Hungarian-Ukrainian negotiations, Orbán said.

“This is now about implementation, and both sides are working on it,” the minister wrote.

Hungary and Ukraine have recently been putting effort into addressing longstanding disputes over the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia. Budapest has repeatedly called for guarantees concerning education, language use and other minority rights, while Kyiv has been seeking closer integration with the European Union.

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