Hungary has unexpectedly postponed the scheduled May 12 negotiations with Ukraine concerning the rights of national minorities. The meeting was set to take place in Uzhhorod, reports the Baltimore Chronicle, citing Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice.
The Ukrainian delegation had already arrived at the site of the consultations, where both sides were to discuss 11 recommendations previously agreed upon by Budapest and Kyiv. The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine announced the postponement without specifying a new date.
These talks were intended to serve as the first stage of a regular dialogue on issues that are part of the conditions for Ukraine to begin negotiations on European Union membership.
The context is further complicated by a recent deterioration in Hungarian-Ukrainian relations. On May 9, Ukraine’s Security Service reported the exposure of two agents of the Hungarian military intelligence service operating in the Zakarpattia region. In response, Hungary expelled two Ukrainian diplomats, prompting Kyiv to take reciprocal measures.
The issue of national minority rights is one of the seven criteria identified by the European Commission as necessary for the start of EU accession negotiations. Although in November 2023 the European Commission acknowledged that four of these criteria had been fulfilled, changes in legislation concerning language, education, and media remain under discussion. In December 2023, Ukraine’s parliament passed a draft law on national minorities in its first reading, but its final adoption and implementation are still pending.
Earlier we wrote that Hungary will not support Zelenskyy’s EU accession plans.