Ukraine’s parliament adopts law on national minorities
Ukraine’s parliament adopted a law on national minorities on Dec. 13 – one of the main requirements for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, according to a report on the official website of the legislature.
Law No 8224 is designed to improve the protection of the rights of national minorities and the basis of state policy towards them. In particular, it refers to the rights to self-identification, the use of languages of national minorities, education, participation in political, economic, social, and cultural life, etc.
The state guarantees persons belonging to national minorities the protection of their rights, freedoms and interests.
A person belonging to a national minority has the right to: self-identification; freedom of public associations and peaceful assembly; freedom of expression and belief, thought, speech, conscience and religion; participation in political, economic and social life; use of the national minority language; education, in particular in the languages of national minorities; preservation of cultural identity of national minority.
A person belonging to the national minority has the right to the free and unimpeded use of the language of their minority privately and publicly, in oral and written forms within the limits that do not contradict the law.
The document was finalized after consultations with the Council of Europe and in cooperation with its experts.
EU leaders supported granting EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova at the summit on June 23. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that it was a historic moment in relations between Ukraine and the bloc.
The European Council invited the European Commission to report on the fulfillment by the candidate countries of the conditions listed by it in the conclusions on the respective membership applications, and promised to decide on further steps „as soon as all these conditions are fully met.”
Source: nv.ua