Ukraine's legislation on national minorities meets international standards - Shmyhal

According to an Ukrinform correspondent, this was stated by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in a video address to the participants of the Forum of National Minorities (Communities) of Ukraine: European Perspective, Dialogue, Protection of Rights event in Kyiv.

"Since the first years after regaining independence, Ukraine has been taking care of the interests of all ethnic communities living here. After we gained the status of an EU candidate, this work has intensified and reached a new level. In close cooperation with our European partners, Ukraine has qualitatively updated its legislative framework on national minorities. It now meets international human rights standards," Shmyhal said.

He specified that over the past year, the Verkhovna Rada has adopted three laws in the field of national minority policy, and also approved 10 bylaws implementing these laws. He also informed that the Council of Public Associations of National Communities of Ukraine had recently been established, which became the "voice" of 18 national minorities living in the country.

The Prime Minister also reminded that Ukraine has approved the state targeted national and cultural programme "Unity in Diversity", which will be in effect until 2034. According to him, it is designed to strengthen social stability, cohesion and national unity of Ukrainian society.

For his part, Viktor Yelensky, head of the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, stressed that the situation of minorities in the country is a test not only of democracy but also of the country's belonging to the civilised world.

"The rise of the national consciousness of the Ukrainian people, ethnic Ukrainians, has led to the rise of the consciousness of the peoples who have linked their fate with Ukraine. The great slogan proclaimed by the People's Movement of Ukraine at the beginning of Ukrainian independence that Jews in Ukraine should be better off than in Israel and Romanians than in Romania has become a guiding slogan for further policy in the field of national minorities. I am glad that we are now at the stage of the rise of national minority policy, and this rise is upward and, I am sure, irreversible," he said.

As reported, the Forum of National Minorities (Communities) of Ukraine is dedicated to the state of implementation of the reform to improve Ukrainian legislation in the field of ethnic policy, as well as to ensuring the rights of national minorities (communities) of Ukraine in the context of the ongoing war.

During the event, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna announced a "rather positive" assessment by the European Commission of Ukraine's fulfilment of the political criteria necessary for the start of EU accession negotiations, including in the area of minority rights.