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PETKO DOYKOV
We have officially said no to the negotiating framework
The General Affairs Council, in which European foreign ministers were to discuss the start of EU membership talks in North Macedonia, has been postponed. This was made clear in the council’s newly published agenda.
The meeting was originally scheduled for November 11. The new date is November 17.
The reason for postponing the Macedonian council of members turned out to be indirectly Bulgaria. Deputy Foreign Minister Petko Doikov, who took part in the talks between Germany, Bulgaria and Macedonia in Berlin earlier this week, has contracted the coronavirus. German Minister for European Affairs Michael Roth and foreign negotiator Heiko Maas have isolated themselves and cannot participate in the council before 17 November. Germany currently holds the presidency of the European Council and meetings cannot take place without German ministers.
The postponement of the council gives Sofia and Skopje additional time to agree on the implementation of the friendship treaty, so that Bulgaria does not veto the start of negotiations for North Macedonia’s accession to the EU. Germany has the ambition to at least push forward the negotiating framework, where, however, our country insists that bilateral issues be recorded. So far, Bulgaria’s demands are not backed by other EU countries.
In the talks in Berlin, progress was made on the language and Skopje’s lack of claims about the recognition of a minority and Bulgarian territories, Ekaterina Zaharieva explained earlier this week. However, Sofia was not yet ready to say “yes” to starting negotiations with North Macedonia, Zaharieva explained at the time. As an obstacle, he pointed to the lack of changes in Macedonian history textbooks, despite the agreement reached on some of the issues in the joint historical commission.
Bulgaria has officially notified the EC that it does not accept the proposed negotiating framework for Macedonia.
Bulgaria violates art. 2 of the friendship treaty, which says it will support Skopje for EU and NATO membership, Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said on Friday. He reiterated that he did not accept the conclusion of an annex to the contract to satisfy the demands of Bulgaria. (24 hours)
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