Hungary has cleared technical work on the next stage of Ukraine’s EU membership talks and says it will lift its veto if Ukraine’s parliament passes a minority-rights law, a vote expected on Oct. 12, Euronews and the Kyiv Independent reported.
The step would let the EU open two more negotiating clusters with Ukraine, covering the internal market and competitiveness. Only two of six clusters have been opened so far, and EU officials aim to open all six by the end of 2026, the Kyiv Independent reported.
On Wednesday, Hungary allowed preparations for the Council letters asking Ukraine for its negotiating positions, work Budapest had previously blocked, Euronews reported. Budapest says it will approve opening clusters two and three if the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, adopts the law. Euronews said the Rada has not yet approved it and is having difficulty securing stable majorities.
The bill, numbered 70878, was registered on Oct. 1. It widens education in minority languages, mainly for Hungarian speakers. The Kyiv Independent said about 80,000 ethnic Hungarians live in Zakarpattia Oblast. Schools where more than half of pupils study in a minority language could apply for special status, and their heads or deputy heads would need to be proficient in that language, the outlet reported. The text refers to languages that are official in the EU, which excludes Russian.
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar, in office since May, said everyone has the right to education in their mother tongue and expects those rights to be guaranteed in practice, according to the Kyiv Independent. His predecessor, Viktor Orban, repeatedly blocked Kyiv’s EU progress.
The next formal decisions normally fall to the General Affairs Council, which the Kyiv Independent said meets next on Oct. 13. Euronews said Hungary would approve the two clusters at that meeting in Luxembourg, with the formal opening at an intergovernmental conference on Tuesday. The Rio Times, citing Ground News, also reported a possible conference on Oct. 13.
Moldova’s talks are closely linked to Ukraine’s and would also advance, Euronews said.
Hungary has set conditions before. On June 3, Magyar announced what he called a “historic agreement” with Ukraine on minority rights, and said Hungary would hold a referendum on Ukraine’s membership if Kyiv closes all 33 accession chapters, AFP reported via Arab News. Euronews said tensions remain, including a public dispute between Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, and Magyar in September.
For Canada, the decision matters most to the Ukrainian community. More than one million Canadians reported Ukrainian ancestry in the 2021 census, Statistics Canada data show. Canada is not an EU member and has no vote in the process, but the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement has been in force since 2017, and Ukraine’s alignment with EU rules shapes the market Canadian exporters would face. The EU has also moved separately on Russia, as Canada News Media reported.
The Rada vote on Monday is the first test. If it fails or is delayed, Hungary’s approval of the two clusters could slip past the Oct. 15-16 European Council summit in Brussels. This story is developing.
Via Euronews, the Kyiv Independent and The Rio Times.
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