Ukraine’s EU accession bid advances after Kyiv passes minority rights law

The European Union will on Tuesday open new negotiation chapters with Ukraine, an essential step in Kyiv’s long path to join the bloc.

Ukrainian lawmakers on Monday passed legislation protecting the rights of national minorities, which removes a major hurdle in Kyiv’s bid for membership.

The status of the Hungarian-speaking minority in western Ukraine had long caused tensions with Budapest and Hungary had blocked Ukraine’s EU membership bid, officially submitted days after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

European Council President Antonio Costa on Monday said he welcomed “today’s decision by EU Member States to open two further negotiation clusters with Ukraine and Moldova”.