In mid‑2024 the European Commission took the first formal step toward Ukraine’s EU future, recommending candidate status on 17 June 2024. A week later, on 23 June 2024, EU leaders confirmed that recommendation and granted Ukraine candidate status. This set the stage for the accession process, but the journey remained contingent on meeting conditions set by existing member states.
For seventeen months Hungary blocked progress on Ukraine’s accession, maintaining a veto that prevented the opening of negotiation clusters. The veto was lifted on 1 June 2026, when the new Hungarian government announced the end of the obstruction. The lifting ended a prolonged stalemate and signaled Budapest’s willingness to move forward, provided Kyiv met certain prerequisites.
Hungary made clear that its support for opening the accession clusters depended on Ukraine adopting legislation concerning the education of national minorities. The requirement was framed as a quid‑pro‑quo: pass the law, and Hungary would lift its veto and allow the talks to begin. This condition linked internal Ukrainian education policy directly to the external EU accession timetable.
The law broadens opportunities for learning languages that are official within the European Union.
On 1 July 2026 Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, adopted Bill No. 16119, the official text governing education in minority and indigenous languages. The bill’s number, 16119, appears in the parliamentary record as the identifier for the measure that satisfied Hungary’s demand. Its adoption marked the legislative fulfillment of the condition set by Budapest.
The law broadens opportunities for learning languages that are official within the European Union. It also ensures that the history and culture of indigenous Ukrainian peoples are incorporated into educational programs. By doing so, the bill seeks to give minority communities access to instruction in their own tongues while aligning with EU linguistic standards.
A stated aim of the legislation is to balance proficiency in the state language with the preservation of minority identities. The bill seeks to balance Ukrainian language proficiency with preserving minority identities.
With the veto lifted and the law in place, Hungary agreed to support the opening of two specific negotiation clusters: ‘Foundations’ and ‘External Relations’. The opening of these clusters enables the start of accession negotiations.
Following the lifting of the veto on 1 June 2026 and the passage of the minority language law on 1 July 2026, officials indicated that negotiations were expected to start formally soon.
Despite the progress, Budapest recently issued a warning that it could halt the accession process if Ukraine fails to fulfill an agreement concerning the rights of Hungarians living in the Zakarpattia region. This caveat shows that Hungary’s support remains contingent on additional, specific commitments beyond the language law.
Having cleared the legislative hurdle demanded by Hungary and with the veto lifted, Ukraine has moved the accession mechanism from a state of suspension to one of active preparation. The next steps will involve the opening of the ‘Foundations’ and ‘External Relations’ clusters, assuming the Zakarpattia condition is satisfied. Hungary warned it could halt accession if Ukraine does not fulfill the Zakarpattia agreement.