Ukrainian President's Office says it's ready to amend education law amid "Hungarian" EU demands

The Ukrainian President's Office has said it's ready to change the education law to meet EU requirements, although it does not view this as fulfilling Hungary's "ultimatum".

Source: Interfax-Ukraine, citing Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Chief of the Ukrainian President’s Office, during the national joint 24/7 newscast, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Zhovkva noted that the Ukrainian parliament is currently considering draft amendments to the education law, but Kyiv does not view such actions as fulfilment of the Hungarian ultimatum.

"We are ready when it comes to education. A draft law on certain amendments has been introduced to the Ukrainian parliament; once again, it's important to note: in pursuance of the recommendations of the Venice Commission, not the whims of a particular state," he said.

Zhovkva noted that by adopting the law on national minorities, Ukraine has implemented almost all of the Venice Commission's recommendations and is ready to fulfil the remaining ones.

"I may announce that I think we won't wait for December but rather make it happen in November, but everything depends on the parliament... The president is working intensively with the parliament to ensure that the relevant legislative changes that still need to be made in line with these recommendations are introduced. So that we, as always, work ahead of schedule," Zhovkva added.

Background: It bears noting that the European Commission's recommendation for the final green light to launch accession negotiations requires Ukraine to adopt a law that meets the "remaining recommendations" of the Venice Commission from June 2023 and October 2023 related to the law on minorities and education.

Hungary makes no secret of the fact that it demands this as a precondition for the start of negotiations.

Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, believes that Budapest's political remarks "won’t obstruct real work" on the issue of the Hungarian minority's language of education in Ukraine.

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