site.btaEnlargement Commissioner Kos Meets Representatives of Ukraine's National Minorities in Uzhhorod

As part of a three-day visit to Ukraine, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, took part in an expanded meeting of the Council of Public Associations of National Minorities under the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS).

The meeting took place in the Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod, the State Service announced on its official website.

The purpose of Commissioner Kos’s visit is to assess Ukraine’s progress toward European Union membership.

As a result of the meeting, the Council of Public Associations of National Minorities in Ukraine adopted a joint declaration, dated September 29.

The Council of Public Associations of National Minorities in Ukraine notes that, since 2022, Ukraine has already adopted a significant portion of the systemic legislative and institutional measures in the field of protecting the rights of persons belonging to national minorities. “As representatives of public organizations of national minorities in Ukraine, we recognize that an important cross-sectoral feature of this process has been the inclusion of national minority associations in the preparation and discussion of decisions adopted by the state, with the majority of our proposals taken into account,” the Council stated in its address.

The members of the Council of Public Associations of National Minorities in Ukraine, along with representatives of national communities, said that they were included in the development of the Action Plan for the Protection of the Rights of Persons Belonging to National Minorities of Ukraine, which was approved by the Ukrainian government in May 2025.

The Council of Public Associations of National Minorities in Ukraine also expressed its readiness to continue actively participating in the monitoring and implementation of this document, the statement further notes.

The Council emphasized the importance of opening the Fundamentals negotiation cluster, as well as other negotiation clusters as soon as possible, which would support the continuation of democratic reforms - a key condition for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, the address adds.

On behalf of the Bulgarian national minority in Ukraine, Dora Kostova participated in the meeting. She is a member of the Council of Public Associations of National Minorities in Ukraine under DESS, President of the Assembly of Bulgarians in Ukraine, and Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper "Roden Krai".