site.btaMEP Kovatchev Warns Against Blaming Bulgaria for North Macedonia’s EU Stalemate

MEP Andrey Kovatchev warned from the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday that using Bulgaria to explain North Macedonia’s lack of progress on its EU path is very damaging.

Kovatchev told BTA on the sidelines of the European Parliament that the issues concern the European Commission’s reports on the Western Balkan countries’ progress toward EU accession, the draft resolutions on those reports due for a European Parliament vote, and bilateral relations between Sofia and Skopje.

Ahead of Wednesday’s vote on the European Parliament’s draft resolutions on the 2025 annual progress reports for seven EU candidate countries, BTA sought comment from Bulgarian MEPs across all parliamentary groups and all Bulgarian political parties represented in the legislature.

Asked about the messages in the European Commission’s reports on the Western Balkan countries, Kovatchev highlighted progress by Montenegro and Albania and outlined why North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo are lagging behind in the process.

“The main principle is clearly each candidate country’s own performance, so the assessments are strictly individual. Montenegro is, of course, the furthest ahead, and we expect it to sign an accession treaty very soon, meaning next year. There are positive signals for Albania as well. It must, of course, complete its reforms and pay particular attention to environmental protests and to projects being carried out in a non-transparent manner in Albania’s coastal areas,” Kovatchev said.

“As for the remaining countries, we do not see significant progress, and the reports show they are falling behind in their integration. 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,” Kovatchev said, also citing a lack of progress in Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia.

Commenting on Bulgaria’s position and the balance between support for North Macedonia’s European perspective and protection of Bulgaria’s national interest, Kovatchev pointed to ending hate speech against Bulgarians in North Macedonia and reforming education as key steps toward improving bilateral relations between Sofia and Skopje.

“Bulgaria’s national interest is now also a European interest, because all the elements protecting the Bulgarian interest are included in the negotiating framework and in the precondition for opening negotiations, namely the inclusion of the Bulgarian community in all parts of their [North Macedonia’s] Constitution, in the Preamble and in the sections listing the other peoples. This is also linked to non-discrimination, to reducing and eliminating hate speech, and to all the absolutely unacceptable incidents and crimes that have occurred in recent years as a result of hate speech against Bulgarians incited by politicians, media, representatives of academia, and representatives of religious communities,” Kovatchev said.

“That is why we are also insisting on changes to textbooks and the education system. This is also set out in the treaty with Bulgaria and its protocols. […] Education is linked to good-neighbourliness, which is part of the Copenhagen criteria. They [North Macedonia] say this is not linked to European integration. On the contrary, good-neighbourliness is part of the Copenhagen criteria, and it means that the younger generations of the Republic of North Macedonia should not be taught to hate their neighbours,” the MEP added.

Commenting on the arson attack on Bulgarian diplomatic vehicles in Skopje, Kovatchev said such incidents stem chiefly from the use of Bulgaria as an excuse for North Macedonia’s lack of progress on its European path.

“We warned that using Bulgaria as an explanation for why the Republic of North Macedonia is not making progress on its European path is very damaging. I personally warned Prime Minister of North Macedonia Hristijan Mickoski not to use Bulgaria as an election campaign issue. He would have won the elections anyway, even without using the Bulgarian issue. Bulgaria has no veto. Since 2022, there has been a European negotiating framework and a precondition, which we discussed a moment ago, for the start of negotiations,” Kovatchev said.

Kovatchev said Mickoski won the elections on the argument that the previous government in North Macedonia had committed betrayal and had “caved in to Bulgaria” by accepting the negotiating framework.

“He promised his voters that he would find a creative solution and would not implement this negotiating framework or this precondition. It became clear, however, that this only blocks the Republic of North Macedonia and its citizens, while he continues to blame the eastern neighbour, that is, Bulgaria, saying we are at fault. This instils a negative attitude toward Bulgaria, which fuels displays of hatred in the media and podcasts, as well as among bloggers. We see this hostile attitude escalate and manifest itself in such acts of terrorism or in various convictions,” Kovatchev said, citing cases of citizens in North Macedonia convicted over social media posts and naming specifically Dragi Karov and Ljubco Georgievski, who received suspended sentences in connection with publicly expressed views related to their Bulgarian identity.