site.btaEuropean Parliament Report Urges North Macedonia to Adopt Constitutional Amendments, Bulgarian MEPs React

The European Parliament on Wednesday rejected a proposal to delete language backing the Bulgaria-North Macedonia joint historical commission from its 2025 progress report on North Macedonia. The report was drafted by European Parliament rapporteur Thomas Waitz.

The decision keeps Paragraph 73, which concerns the work of the Joint Multidisciplinary Expert Commission on Historical and Educational Issues between Bulgaria and North Macedonia. The deletion proposal was rejected by 338 MEPs, while 126 voted in favour and 188 abstained. The report on North Macedonia was adopted by 411 votes in favour, 120 against and 120 abstentions, stressing the need for constitutional amendments that would allow the opening of the first negotiating cluster.

Ahead of the vote, BTA sought comments from Bulgarian MEPs from all political groups and all Bulgarian parties represented in the European Parliament.

MEP Nikola Minchev (Renew Europe/Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria) stressed that the rights of citizens who identify as Bulgarians in the Republic of North Macedonia is a matter of European values and the rule of law. Minchev noted that constitutional amendments and good-neighbourly relations are not new requirements for North Macedonia but commitments already embedded in the agreed negotiating framework. He added that the hostile rhetoric expressed by public figures and signs of tension and aggression should not be overlooked.

MEP Rada Laykova (Europe of Sovereign Nations/Vazrazhdane) argued that many European citizens remain insufficiently informed about the historical and political realities of the Balkans and urged greater attention to the issue. She added that tens of thousands of people identifying as Bulgarians in North Macedonia continue to face restrictions on their rights. Laykova criticized what she described as "the country’s interpretation of historical developments" and stressed that progress toward EU membership must be tied to adherence to democratic standards and the protection of fundamental rights.

MEP Ivaylo Valchev (European Conservatives and Reformists/There Is Such a People) told BTA that Skopje is emphasizing issues that serve its domestic political agenda in order to divert public attention from more pressing challenges and focus irrational hostility against its eastern neighbour. Valchev encouraged anyone interested in the subject to read the full report on North Macedonia, stressing that anyone who does so "will understand why there is such a strong insistence in Skopje on discussing identity and language, as well as the issues surrounding them, rather than, for example, corruption and the rule of law."

MEP Petar Volgin (Europe of Sovereign Nations/Vazrazhdane) said that North Macedonia is currently not doing anything to improve relations with Bulgaria. He described the region's push for rapid EU accession as "premature" and stressed the need for these countries to meet the relevant criteria before claiming membership. "When such a decision is taken, it must be based on very clear criteria. Criteria that Bulgaria had to meet for many years in order to become a full EU member. The same criteria must be met by all other countries that want to join the EU, whether our Balkan neighbours or Ukraine," Volgin said. 

MEP Kristian Vigenin (Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats/Bulgarian Socialist Party) said that "the Republic of North Macedonia can begin EU accession negotiations as soon as it adopts the agreed constitutional revisions" adding that the country cannot join the EU without Bulgaria's support. Vigenin pointed out that the Western Balkan countries are progressing at different speeds towards EU accession. "The Republic of North Macedonia is the worst laggard, as it refuses to agree to the step that will clear its way to the negotiations. There is no such thing as 'a Bulgarian veto'. As soon as the constitutional amendments are adopted, the negotiations can start," the MEP said.

MEP Andrey Kovatchev (European People's Party/GERB) told BTA that using Bulgaria to explain North Macedonia’s lack of progress on its EU path is very damaging. "The Republic of North Macedonia is not fulfilling the commitments it undertook in 2022 or the Council conclusions, including the requirement to include Bulgarians in all parts of the Constitution before negotiations can begin. That is not to mention implementation of the negotiating framework, where point 5 says that they [North Macedonia] must implement the treaties with Bulgaria and Greece and the protocols to the treaty with Bulgaria,” he added.

MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk (Renew Europe/Movement for Rights and Freedoms) said that Bulgarian national interest and EU criteria coincide on North Macedonia.  He underlined that reaching a balance between support for North Macedonia’s European perspective and the protection of Bulgarian national interests is "entirely possible and is in fact built into the European decisions of recent years". Bulgaria does not dispute North Macedonia’s European future. On the contrary, we have consistently supported its European integration. At the same time, the European process cannot be separated from the principle that commitments undertaken must be fulfilled. In this case, this concerns both the 2017 Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation and the commitments included in the European negotiating framework, including the inclusion of Bulgarians in North Macedonia’s Constitution as a state-founding people,” he added. 

All 17 Bulgarian MEPs  issued a joint declaration strongly condemning the June 15 arson attack on two diplomatic vehicles outside the Bulgarian Embassy in Skopje, describing it as an act of aggression that endangered the security of the diplomatic mission. The MEPs said the attack was part of a broader problem related to hostility and hate speech against Bulgarians and Bulgarian institutions in North Macedonia. They called on the authorities in North Macedonia to take immediate action to identify the perpetrators and any possible instigators, stressing that the case should not be treated as an isolated criminal incident.