Speech of Commissioner Marta Kos meeting the Council of National Minorities in Uzhhorod, Ukraine

Dear representatives,

As I crossed the border into Zakarpattia a couple of hours ago, I heard Ukrainian, I heard Slovak, I heard Hungarian. And I knew I was standing not only in Ukraine, but in the very heart of Europe.

My first stop was the Slovak minority school, followed by the Gábor Dayka School for the Hungarian minority. I spoke with students who could proudly display two languages. They were proud of their mother tongue but were also resolute Ukrainians.

Dear representatives,

Thank you for welcoming me here in Uzhhorod today. It is important for me that we get to know one another and begin a dialogue.

I am here above all to listen. Because I know many of you have concerns about the protection of your rights as national minorities.

Minority rights are something the European Union takes very seriously. Their rights are enshrined in Article 2 of the European treaty. They are part of the EU's DNA. In most Member States, minorities are recognised and protected, and many communities have family or cultural ties across borders.

In my home country, Slovenia, we have Hungarian and Italian minorities with a special status. And just a few kilometres from where I grew up, there is a Slovenian minority in Austria with guaranteed rights.

Across Europe, the level of protection differs, but the principle remains the same: minorities enrich our societies. Your contributions – to art, science, education, public service, and the economy – are woven into Ukraine's society. With you, Ukraine is richer, more creative, and more resilient.

Ukraine has always been an ethnically and linguistically diverse country. Finding the right balance between Ukrainian and minority rights would always have been a complex task. Right after gaining independence, Ukraine already adopted in 1992 its law on national minorities. With time it required more updating and clarification and led to several attempts for reform until now to calibrate that balance. .  The education and language reforms after 2017,  , which drew criticism from Ukraine's neighbours and international experts, required new adjustments to protect the rights of persons belonging to national minorities.

As part of the seven recommendations, in December 2023, a new law on national minorities was adopted. This was a positive development, and this is where EU accession acts as a catalyst. But open issues remain. The process itself creates the best conditions for these open issues to be resolved. Last year, the 27 EU Member States agreed on the Negotiating Framework with Ukraine. They made it a requirement that Ukraine adopts and implement an Action Plan on National Minorities.

Adopted in May, this Action Plan is a strong basis for progress. But success will depend on its effective implementation.

That means genuine consultations between national minorities and the Ukrainian government. It means that the Council represented here will become the main interlocutor representative of Ukraine's minorities under the President of Ukraine, consulted early on draft laws, monitoring the implementation, and raising the alarm whenever reforms are delayed or insufficient. For this, the Council is still to be equipped this year with adequate capacities and responsibilities, as foreseen in the Action Plan.

Still for this year, Ukraine has committed to adopt legislation on education to address the remaining issues on the use of minority languages. Amendments to legislation will also be needed to guarantee and clarify their broader public use, as well as expanded opportunities for representatives of national minorities for political representation, locally and nationally.

These commitments are part of the fundamentals cluster. And this cluster can only be closed once these commitments are delivered and tested in practice.

On the national level, the State Service of Ukraine on Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience will need to be able to play a proactive role, coordinating ministries and responsible administrations  as well as advocating for minority concerns. On the regional and local levels, such as here in Zakarpattia, public administration must stand as a trusted partner to minorities: listening, supporting, acting. It is here - on the ground – where your communities must see the tangible results of reforms adopted in Kyiv.

I understand the temptation to use the current moment of maximum leverage to achieve improvements. But please be reassured: this leverage is built into the EU accession process. It does not disappear. On the contrary, it becomes stronger, because the European Commission will act as guarantor and supervisor of every step of implementation.

And believe me, I will be strict.

At the same time, EU accession brings real opportunities for your communities. Border regions like Zakarpattia stand to benefit most. I have seen in Slovenia how EU membership dissolved barriers, encouraged cross-border business, and helped minority communities thrive on both sides of the border. The same can happen here, preventing risks of stagnation and emigration, and instead fostering local growth, cultural protection, and vibrant communities.

Each person here represents a language and a tradition, and a story. This diversity is part of Ukraine's wealth.

Your European future is no threat to this wealth, it is one of the strongest guarantees that the Hungarian and all the other communities in Ukraine will enjoy the same protections, rights, and opportunities as, for instance, Hungarians in Slovenia or Romania today. That is what EU membership can delivers.