site.btaNorth Macedonia President Slams Bulgarian Parliament's EU Accession Decision

North Macedonia President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova told journalists on Tuesday that the decision on the progress of the Republic of North Macedonia in the European Union accession process, adopted by the Bulgarian parliament last week, was insulting.

“From the very beginning, it has hindered joint progress through dialogue,” Siljanovska-Davkova said after taking part in a conference organised by the country’s national statistics authority.

“This is just the latest in a series—there have already been several resolutions and memoranda, and all of them are cited. Of course, it is insulting to do something like this, because from the very outset, joint progress through dialogue has been obstructed. The essence of the preamble to the Treaty of Friendship and Good-Neighbourliness is that Bulgaria should help the Republic of North Macedonia. You can only help someone with understanding. I think it is wrong,” Siljanovska-Davkova said.

She said she expects the country’s progress report to be supported in the European Parliament.

“Of course, I expect support, but honestly, I did not expect to read or hear about any amendments—in the 21st century, in the European Parliament, imagine in the 21st century, contesting someone’s identity. This is unheard of, especially given you are sitting in an institution that is part of the EU, whose founding documents, such as the Treaty on the European Union, the Treaty of Lisbon, the Charter of Fundamental Rights, guarantee respect for national and cultural identity, human dignity and integrity. This is something shocking. So I expect the report to be supported, because otherwise it will speak very poorly about the democratic capacity of the European Parliament,” Siljanovska-Davkova said.

The draft report on the progress of the Republic of North Macedonia, prepared by Thomas Waitz, is scheduled to be discussed in the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs later this week. The report caused tension after North Macedonia Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski declared that it recognized the centuries-old identity and language of North Macedonia, and later that a Bulgarian MEP had submitted an amendment seeking clarification that this referred to the contemporary identity and language of North Macedonia. According to Mickoski, this shows that the aim of official Sofia is not to include Bulgarians in North Macedonia’s constitution, but to create a new contemporary nation of North Macedonia, rooted in the Bulgarian nation.

At the end of last week, Bulgaria's National Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution affirming its commitment to the July 2022 European consensus on North Macedonia's EU accession, calling on Skopje to honour previous agreements and ensure equal rights for Bulgarians in North Macedonia. The resolution urges EU and international bodies to monitor human rights closely and expects North Macedonia to protect minority rights and combat discrimination as part of the accession process.