site.btaBulgaria Insists that North Macedonia Fulfil Its Commitments to Protect Rights of Communities

Bulgaria insists that the Republic of North Macedonia fulfil its commitments to protect the rights of communities, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release on Wednesday.

Organizations representing the Bulgarian community in the Republic of North Macedonia have issued an official letter regarding the revised draft Action Plan for the Protection of the Rights of Persons Belonging to Minorities and Communities, presented by the government of the neighbouring country, the press office of the ministry said.

Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry notes that this Action Plan is a key document, part of the 2022 European consensus, whose implementation will be monitored throughout the entire negotiation process for North Macedonia’s future accession to the EU. When, inevitably, the expected constitutional changes formally recognize Bulgarians as legitimate holders of civil rights in the neighbouring country, the Action Plan will need to ensure the practical application and protection of these constitutionally guaranteed rights.

In their statement, the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia express concern over the lack of full reflection in the draft Action Plan of their comments and proposals from December 2025. In their view, the document still does not adequately address the significant problems faced by the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia and does not propose effective mechanisms to overcome them. These shortcomings include systematic institutional pressure, uneven enforcement of laws, severe restrictions on self-determination and freedom of association, lack of protection against discrimination, and politically motivated hate crimes.

The Foreign Ministry supports the legitimate demands of the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia and calls on the government of the neighbouring country to take into consideration the calls of its citizens and fulfil all commitments made to the EU and Bulgaria. "We expect North Macedonia to commit sincerely and consistently to establishing a reliable, effective, and sustainable mechanism for the protection of fundamental human rights, so that it can secure consensus support for its European path in the future," the statement said.

On March 29, state news agency MIA quoted Republic of North Macedonia's Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski saying that the government would not implement the constitutional amendments as part of the country’s EU accession process under conditions which directly affect Macedonian identity, while lacking predictability and a definitive outcome of the process, adding there will be no “puppets” that would implement them.