Bulgaria's National Assembly Unanimously Approved the Progress of North Macedonia towards EU Accession

With full unanimity, the National Assembly on May 30 adopted a resolution concerning the advancement of the Republic of North Macedonia in its process of accession to the European Union.

The document states that Bulgaria remains fully committed to the European consensus reached in July 2022 and calls on the authorities in Skopje to strictly fulfill their commitments, emphasising that any attempts at renegotiation are unacceptable.

Parliament calls on the EU institutions to continue to work hard to guarantee the rights of Bulgarians in North Macedonia, as well as those of other communities, including their right to preserve and develop their cultural and historical heritage, language, collective memory, and identity.

“We insist that everyone respect the Treaty of Good Neighbourliness. Any provocations are in no one’s interest. This declaration serves as yet another reminder that the foundational document for our contemporary relations is the Treaty of Good Neighbourliness. You are aware of the incidents involving torched cultural clubs, the minority issue, and the failure to include Bulgarians in the Constitution—yet we have issued over 100,000 passports to citizens of North Macedonia,” stated Boyko Borissov, leader of GERB.

“At present, North Macedonia is not adhering to the commitments it made to Bulgaria and to the entire EU regarding the protection of the rights of Bulgarians in the country. Therefore, we expect the authorities in Skopje to comply with their obligations by adopting a clear, measurable, and effective action plan aimed at fulfilling these commitments, protecting human rights, and combating hate speech. Bulgaria must not allow any renegotiation of this decision,” added Lena Borislavova from We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (WCC-DB).

"I would stress that the Bulgarian state and government should make greater efforts to work with the EU, the Bulgarian diplomacy should do more to ensure that Bulgaria’s position remains clearly understood by all,” stated Elisaveta Belobradova, also from WCC-DB.

“There are moments when the National Assembly makes good decisions, albeit rarely. This is one such moment. Credit is due to the governing parties for heeding ‘Vazrazhdane’s call to strengthen Bulgaria’s negotiating position. The truth is that our country continues to behave as though we are the EU candidate, while North Macedonia is already a member state ready to block us at any moment,” commented Kostadin Kostadinov, leader of ‘Vazrazhdane’.

“Today, we must all be united, because the only way to overcome the challenges is together. The problem does not lie within Bulgaria—it is external. Bulgaria has no alternative plan. What has been agreed upon and supported by all EU member states is the only course of action that North Macedonia must fulfill,” said Dragomir Stoynev, Chair of the Parliamentary Group of BSP – United Left.

“What’s done is done. We have lifted the veto. They accepted the French proposal, we call it consensus. From now on, we must not retreat even a millimetre, and it must be made absolutely clear, so that it does not even cross the minds of those in power in North Macedonia to continue with this rhetoric,” added Toshko Yordanov from ‘There Is Such a People’.