site.btaVelichie Describe Draft Report on North Macedonia's EU Accession Progress as "Yet Another Disgrace" for Bulgaria, EU

Velichie Wednesday described the draft report on the Republic of North Macedonia’s EU accession progress, which was adopted by the European Parliament’s (EP) Committee on Foreign Affairs a day earlier, as “yet another disgrace” for Bulgaria and the European Union. In a declaration read from the Parliament’s rostrum, Velichie Deputy Floor Leader Krasimira Katincharova announced the party’s plans to stage a protest outside the EP on June 26.

“The report adopted by the Committee on Foreign Affairs, which recognizes the Republic of North Macedonia’s distinct identity, language and culture, is yet another disgrace,” Katincharova said. “It is a disgrace not only for our democracy and our representatives in the European Parliament but for the European Union itself, which allows such segregation and division,” she said. Katincharova also criticized the EU for failing to seek information on North Macedonia’s history, development, and the number of Bulgarians living there.

“For 15 years now, European officials and leaders have been legitimizing the mafia rule of Bulgaria,” she said. Velichie argued that the recent parliamentary elections are a stark example of political hypocrisy, pointing to widespread manipulation. Katincharova criticized the EU and the European Commission for failing to “distance themselves from this mafia-style governance.” “This kind of governance makes the Cosa Nostra look like a modern, democratic, and law-abiding organization,” she added.

Katincharova noted that a convergence report was requested to allow Bulgaria to join the euro area in January 2026 without giving Bulgarian citizens a democratic say in the matter.

She added that Bulgarians from all over Europe will gather outside the EP in Brussels on Thursday to demand answers on why the EU supports and legitimizes what she described as the Bulgarian mafia.