[ad_1]
Bulgaria made a “strategic mistake” by vetoing the start of negotiations with North Macedonia, despite meeting the criteria for EU membership. This was announced by the Skopje government.
On the day that the possibility of approving North Macedonia’s negotiating framework with the EU had to be discussed again, but the issue was removed from the agenda, Zoran Zaev’s cabinet explained why it considered the mistake “irresponsible and serious” .
According to the statement, enlargement is a strategic objective of the EU, and the latest European Commission report describes the country as “better than other candidates” in its pursuit of pro-European reforms “even before some countries that are already negotiating.” It is recalled that in March Bulgaria also approved the possibility of starting negotiations in principle (but set the conditions for their actual start).
Disapproval of the negotiating framework “damages the fundamental principles and values of the European Union”, but will not hamper internal reforms, “on the contrary, we will accelerate the pace.”
Furthermore, “Macedonia’s national identity has not been, is not and cannot be the subject of negotiations,” the statement continued.
There is a fundamental question between Sofia and Skopje as to whether Bulgaria expects North Macedonia to “change its identity” with the desire not to use the term “Macedonian language” in the negotiation framework and to recognize the Bulgarian root of the language and the nation. For the Bulgarian side, this is fake news, but for the similar Macedonian review of the story, as well as the rejection of the term “Macedonian language”, these are concessions that strike the essence of the Macedonians.
