site.btaBulgarian Association Challenges References to "Macedonian Identity and Language" in EP Report

A Bulgarian civic association representing descendants of refugees and immigrants from the region of today’s North Macedonia has issued a public statement expressing concern over recent developments in a European Parliament (EP) report that they claim overstates recognition of a "centuries-old Macedonian identity and language." In a letter addressed to Thomas Waitz, EP Chief Rapporteur on North Macedonia, the group urges the EP to consider the historical context and protect the rights of Bulgarians in North Macedonia who continue to identify as such.

The association, which speaks for part of the estimated 1.3 million Bulgarian citizens with roots in the geographical area of Macedonia, criticized what it sees as the EP’s departure from the 2022 EU membership framework agreement with North Macedonia. That agreement, they argue, already established a compromise ratified by all EU member states, including both Bulgaria and North Macedonia.

“Identities and languages are not subject to recognition by international law,” the group emphasized, calling the multiple mentions of “Macedonian identity” and “Macedonian language” in the EP report—claimed to be nine in total—an act of political overreach.

The statement argues that the "Macedonian identity" and language were constructed post-1944 within the framework of Yugoslavia, and that prior to this, historical records—Ottoman censuses, Austrian consular reports, and ethnographic maps—consistently identified the region’s population as Bulgarian.

“Until 1944, except in Communist and Serbian projects, there was no data on the existence of a Macedonian identity and language,” the association notes.

The group draws a sharp contrast between Austria’s post-WWII identity development - marked by a peaceful transition and coexistence of Austrian and German identities - and what it calls the “bloody terror” against Bulgarian identity in North Macedonia after 1944. They cite the closure of over 1,300 Bulgarian churches and 1,370 schools in the region since 1913, and the ongoing legal persecution of individuals self-identifying as Bulgarian.

“This conflict needs national reconciliation, not encouragement of the aggressor and continued destruction of the victim,” the statement reads.
The association does not oppose the existence of a modern Macedonian identity or the use of the term “Macedonian language” by its speakers. However, it insists that any formal EU recognition must also acknowledge the enduring Bulgarian identity of many citizens within North Macedonia.

“If the official ‘Macedonian language’ is to be recognized, it should be reflected in the declaration that the bearers of Bulgarian identity in North Macedonia continue to call the local dialects Bulgarian,” the group states.
They warn that failing to ensure this parity risks violating their human rights and weakening trust in EU institutions.

“By introducing an artificially created problem, you will strengthen Euroscepticism and ultimately make the EU weaker, not stronger,” the association concludes.

They call on the European Parliament to amend the report to reflect these historical and cultural nuances, and to uphold the principles of self-identification and minority rights within the EU framework.