Bulgaria's PM Glavchev: Our position on North Macedonia's EU accession is unchanged

An EU-Western Balkans summit is held in Brussels on December 18, focusing on the integration of Western Balkan countries into the EU, the war in Ukraine, security and defense partnerships, and issues related to migration and terrorism. Bulgaria is represented by caretaker Prime Minister, Dimitar Glavchev.

High-level diplomatic sources from the European Council say that the message from Brussels to North Macedonia remains unchanged: the faster the country fulfills its commitments related to constitutional amendments and the inclusion of Bulgarians in its constitution, the sooner negotiations will begin. Albania has moved ahead of North Macedonia, recently starting a new round of negotiations on several chapters.

Caretaker Prime Minister, Dimitar Glavchev, said that Bulgaria's position remains unchanged.

"We have long made clear our stance on the Western Balkans—we support enlargement in the region, as it is a geopolitical issue. However, conditions for EU membership should be met. Regarding North Macedonia, you know our position. There was a compromise in 2022, which was made on our part and has become an EU-wide. It was signed by all member states, including Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia. So, there is nothing further to negotiate. Our position remains unchanged," Dimitar Glavchev said.