---
title: "Step Towards EU: Parliament Adopts Important Education Law for National Minorities"
description: "The Verkhovna Rada has adopted a law on educational rights of national minorities, necessary to open new negotiation clusters for Ukraine's EU accession."
date: 2026-10-12T11:26:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/step-towards-eu-parliament-adopts-education-law-for-minorities
tags: [ukraine-eu, verkhovna-rada, national-minorities, education-law, european-integration]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Step Towards EU: Parliament Adopts Important Education Law for National Minorities

![Verkhovna Rada session in Ukraine adopting the national minorities education law](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/12/shag-v-es-rada-prinyala-zakon-ob-obrazovanii-natsmenshinstv/shag-v-es-rada-prinyala-zakon-ob-obrazovanii-natsmenshinstv-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The Verkhovna Rada adopted bill No. 16119 on educational rights of minorities with 266 votes.
- The law is a mandatory condition for opening the second and third negotiation clusters with the EU.
- Ukrainian remains the sole state language, while changes affect only languages of official EU countries.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has taken a decisive step towards the country's European integration by adopting in general the law on the educational rights of national minorities. This decision is a key prerequisite for the state's further advancement on the path of European integration and the opening of subsequent strategic negotiation stages with the European Union.

### Path to European Integration and Parliamentary Vote

The parliamentary corps supported bill No. 16119, which regulates education issues for national communities living on the territory of Ukraine. During the roll-call vote, the initiative was backed by 266 members of parliament. Immediately after the vote, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada was officially instructed to sign the adopted document without delay and send it for final approval to the President of Ukraine.

### Language Balance and Exclusion of the Russian Language

According to the adopted legislative amendments, the Ukrainian language continues to remain invariably the sole state language of the educational process throughout the country. The new rules apply exclusively to the languages of national minorities that are simultaneously official languages of European Union member states. It is important to note that the Russian language is not included in this list and receives no preferences.

### Significance for EU Negotiation Clusters

The adoption of this law acts as a strict and necessary condition for the full unblocking of European integration processes. Thanks to this decision, Ukraine gains a realistic opportunity to open the second and third negotiation clusters during the upcoming intergovernmental conference, which will significantly accelerate the country's rapprochement with European standards.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Шаг в ЕС: Совет принял важный закон об образовании для нацменьшинств](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/krok-es-rada-uhvalila-vazhliviy-zakon-osvitu-1791804181.html) - Законопроект №16119 поддержали 266 депутатов Верховной Рады.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What bill did the Verkhovna Rada support?
**A:** The Verkhovna Rada adopted in general bill No. 16119 regulating the educational rights of national minorities.

### Q: How many deputies voted for the document?
**A:** 266 members of the Ukrainian parliament voted in favor of the law.

### Q: Does the law affect the status of the Russian language?
**A:** No, the changes apply exclusively to minority languages that are official EU languages, and the Russian language is not included.