Ukrainian language law: MEPs send open letter to President Poroshenko

On the initiative of Fidesz-KDNP MEP Andrea Bocskor, 37 MEPs – from Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Slovakia – turned to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in an open letter to express their concerns about the education law adopted by the Supreme Council of Ukraine on September 5th and to ask the president not to sign it.

The MEPs called the president’s attention to the fact that Article 7 in the new education law is unlawful, limits rights that are already protected and contradicts the country’s international commitments.
The letter refers to the fact that Article 7 of the regulation, on the language of education, is in conflict with specific international agreements ratified by Ukraine: with the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, and moreover, with certain parts of the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement.

The representatives pointed out that the aforementioned article abolishes the right of Hungarians, Romanians, Bulgarians, Poles and Slovaks living in Ukraine to study in their national language on every level of the education system, which has been an established practice for decades. The recently adopted law will lead to the abolishment of 120 Romanian, 100 Hungarian, and 5 Polish nationality schools in Ukraine. The law deprives national minorities, which make up 20 percent of the country’s population, the freedom of choice concerning language of education and denies them their fundamental right to study in their mother tongue. This is a serious setback compared to the situation under the preceding law and discriminates against Ukrainian citizens.

“It’s important that the European Union take concrete steps against the Ukrainian process of narrowing human rights,” said the initiator of the open letter, Subcarpathian politician Andrea Bocskor, “because, besides the mother countries of the affected Ukrainian minorities, EU leaders may have a positive effect in turning back the decision, which is disadvantageous for national minorities”.