The Cabinet of Ministers approved the list of languages of national minorities threatened with extinction
The Government of Ukraine has approved a resolution on the list of languages of national minorities that are in danger of disappearing.
This was reported by the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers.
This resolution is necessary for the implementation of the Law on National Minorities, one of the key criteria for Ukraine’s European integration.
“According to the legislation, state policy in the field of national minorities is aimed at supporting languages that are in danger of disappearing. The list of such languages is approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on the basis of international standards“, the message states.
In Ukraine, 9 languages have been identified that are in danger of disappearing:
- Belarusian;
- Gagauzian;
- Roma (Romani);
- Yiddish;
- Crimean Tatar;
- krymchachka;
- Karaite;
- Urumisk;
- Rumey
- This list includes the languages of indigenous peoples, including Crimean Tatar, Karaim and Krymchak. The Urum and Rumian languages of the Nadazi Greeks also originated on the territory of Ukraine.
On October 3, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi signed the law on national minorities, which is one of the main requirements for the start of negotiations on Ukraine’s membership in the European Union. The Law on National Minorities was adopted in December 2022, but the Venice Commission recommended revising some provisions, most of which relate to the use of national minority languages.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and the Hungarian government have expressed concern about the law. Hungary even blocked Kyiv’s cooperation with NATO, claiming that the rights of national minorities were being violated.
