Step toward EU accession: Verkhovna Rada adopted a law on education in the languages of national minorities
Kyiv • UNN
On October 12, the Verkhovna Rada adopted Law No. 16119 on education in the native language for national minorities and Indigenous peoples with 266 votes. The law brings Ukraine closer to the EU.
On October 12, the Verkhovna Rada adopted in its entirety a bill on ensuring the educational rights of indigenous peoples of Ukraine and persons belonging to the national minorities (communities) of Ukraine. This is one of Ukraine’s steps on the path to joining the EU. The parliament reported this, UNN writes.
Details
"Education in the languages of national minorities and indigenous peoples of Ukraine. The Verkhovna Rada adopted the relevant law (No. 16119). It was supported by 266 members of parliament," the statement said.
The document guarantees children from national minorities and indigenous peoples of Ukraine whose languages are official EU languages the right to receive education in their native language alongside the state language.
"In particular, the initiative provides for the possibility of granting schools the status of a national minority institution if more than half of the children there study in the respective language. The bill is one of Ukraine’s steps on the path to joining the EU," the Verkhovna Rada said.
"Bill No. 16119 on the educational rights of national minorities has been adopted: 273 in the first reading, 266 in its entirety. An instruction is immediately issued to the chair of the Verkhovna Rada to sign it urgently and submit it to the President for signature," MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak clarified on social media.
Currently, according to the document’s record, the bill is "being prepared for signature."
Background
On October 7, EU ambassadors opened the way for the start of negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova within the accession process on the single market and competitiveness. Budapest lifted its veto on the negotiations. Hungary had been blocking this step since the summer, demanding that Ukraine adopt legislation concerning the educational rights of national minorities.