Commissioner Marta Kos addressed the Council of National Minorities in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, on September 29, 2025, setting out the framework for minority rights protection linked to Ukraine’s EU accession process.
Acknowledging the linguistic diversity in Zakarpattia, Kos highlighted the coexistence of Ukrainian, Slovak, and Hungarian languages, emphasizing minorities' contributions to Ukrainian society’s richness and resilience. She underscored the complexity of balancing Ukrainian sovereignty with national minorities' rights, recalling Ukraine’s 1992 law on national minorities and subsequent reforms, including the 2023 legislation responding to prior criticisms.
Kos outlined the EU-driven policy orientation that ties the implementation of minority rights reforms to Ukraine's accession milestones. This includes the adoption and operationalization of an Action Plan on National Minorities, with concrete commitments such as establishing a Council as the main minority interlocutor with the government, equipping it with adequate powers, and passing legislation on minority language education and political representation. These concrete targets are conditions for progressing in the EU accession negotiation’s fundamentals cluster.
The speech reveals a cleavage favoring increased EU supervision and enforcement mechanisms over national sovereignty in minority rights governance. Ukrainian authorities at national, regional, and local levels would see strengthened institutional roles, while minority communities would gain formal channels for participation and safeguards backed by EU oversight. For minorities and EU civil society, this offers potential for enhanced protections and cultural vitality.
Conversely, national authorities face increased administrative responsibility and compliance costs to meet EU expectations, while some uncertainty remains on how reforms will be implemented on the ground. The EU Commission’s promise of strict oversight signals a shift toward stronger supranational influence on Ukraine’s domestic policies.
Kos’s statement balances assurances of respect for Ukraine’s diversity with a clear message that reform delivery will be rigorously monitored, illustrating how EU integration functions as both a catalyst and a controlling mechanism in this sensitive policy area.