The Assembly today expressed its concern about the articles relating to education in minority languages of the new Education Act recently adopted by Verkhovna Rada and deplored the fact that “there was no real consultation with representatives of national minorities in Ukraine”.
While noting that the authorities have submitted the text to the Venice Commission for an opinion, the Assembly expressed dissatisfaction that “this step was not taken before the adoption of the Education Act”. It asked the Ukrainian authorities “to fully implement the forthcoming recommendations and conclusions of the Venice Commission and to modify the new Education Act accordingly”.
The adopted text, based on a report by Andres Herkel (Estonia, EPP/CD), takes note of serious concerns expressed on a number of legal issues. “More consensual arrangements” should have taken into account three principles: the legitimacy for States to promote the learning of the official language, the implementation of measures to protect and promote the languages of national minorities and the principle of non-discrimination.
