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North Macedonia says there are still no signals from Bulgaria about the start of talks regarding Skopje's European integration process.
Political uncertainty in Bulgaria could be an additional obstacle to the progress of the dialogue between the two neighboring states.
Bulgaria had vetoed North Macedonia's path towards the European bloc, demanding that Skopje include the Bulgarian community in the Preamble of the Constitution.
" We still don't have a partner to tango with ," said Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, speaking about possible talks with the Republic of Bulgaria on North Macedonia's progress in European integration. But how ready is Sofia to dance tango with Skopje in a situation where it is facing internal problems, mass protests and pressure for the government to resign?
Only the situation in Bulgaria can lead to the Macedonian side having no one to talk to, said university professor Vasko Naumovski, who was ambassador to Washington and former deputy prime minister for European Integration.
He emphasized that so far there have been initiatives from the Macedonian side to increase trust and hold several high-level meetings, but they have not been accepted.
" The question now remains whether in the coming months Bulgaria will have a stable political scene and will be a stable partner with whom we can enter into deep talks. If the political scene there continues to destabilize, we would have no one to agree with, or what we would agree on would not survive in Bulgaria for a long time ," Naumovski told Radio Free Europe (REL).
On December 1, Bulgaria faced some of the largest protests since the 1990s, sparked by the government's proposed budget. The executive withdrew the proposal, but protesters demanded its resignation, a demand that was also supported by President Rumen Radev. In addition to the budget plans, one of the factors that angered the citizens who took to the streets and squares, as they themselves said, was corruption.
In the context of North Macedonia, Bulgaria is important because the Macedonian authorities are seeking guarantees that any constitutional changes will not create new conditions for the country’s European integration. With the constitutional changes, North Macedonia must include the Bulgarian community in the Preamble of the Constitution. This is a task that the country took on in 2022, after two years ago Bulgaria vetoed the start of Skopje’s negotiations with the European Union.
When it comes to relations between the two countries, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Skopje, Petra Drexler, in an interview with Radio Free Europe, assessed that "good examples can be distinguished in the recent past" of how they can be strengthened.
As an example, she cites the agreement on Corridor 8, which was signed in November by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport of North Macedonia, Aleksandar Nikolloski, and the Bulgarian Minister of Regional Development, Grozdan Karadzhov.
The agreement concerns the construction of a joint border tunnel for rail transport needs.
" This is an investment that will benefit the whole of Europe, when our European rail network is completed. It is something that will greatly benefit both countries, it will strengthen our economies, something that can also promote the integration of the Western Balkans into the EU. In my opinion, there is undoubtedly an interest and political will for progress, and Germany fully supports this, as does the European Union ," said Drexler, in an interview with REL's Macedonian Service.
Activities on two fronts
But how can it proceed further, considering the current situation in Bulgaria?
According to Naumovski, the activities of the Macedonian side should continue with the presentation of its positions before the EU institutions, and with this it is expected that "European institutions or member states will begin to urge Bulgaria to give up its veto right."
" In parallel with this, initiatives for a bilateral approach towards solving this problem with the relevant institutions in Bulgaria should also continue. Through these two parallel processes, we can hope that we can take a step forward over the next year ," said Naumovski.
While the question remains open as to what and whether anything will change in the coming period, the Bulgarian side has so far consistently reiterated the position that North Macedonia is the one that must fulfill its obligations.
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev declared a few days ago that by including the Bulgarian community in the Constitution, North Macedonia will significantly accelerate its process of membership in the European Union.
" I hope that our southwestern neighbors will do this as soon as possible to open the doors to negotiations for full membership ," Radev declared during a reception for representatives of organizations of Bulgarians from North Macedonia.
Mickoski: We have no information from the Bulgarian side
On the other hand, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, during a conversation with journalists on December 4, reiterated his stance that if North Macedonia makes constitutional changes, this could result in new demands, therefore guarantees are needed.
"The constitutional changes are just the beginning. Even if we include Bulgarians in the Constitution tomorrow, the question remains whether in three, six or nine months there will be a new condition ," Mickoski said.
North Macedonia lags behind on the European path
He stressed that there have been initiatives from "several influential countries" in the EU for high-level meetings with Bulgaria, but added that so far there has been no information from the Bulgarian side about its readiness for talks.
Mickoski stressed that there is a dilemma about how Sofia would eventually like the talks to take place. On the one hand, he said, Bulgaria claims that "this is no longer a bilateral issue" and that it is logical to talk to Brussels.
" Here the Bulgarian side says we can solve it ourselves. Let them decide... If it is bilateral, we are ready to talk to them. If not, then let's talk to Brussels ," Mickoski told reporters.
Meanwhile, the opposition has criticized this issue. The Social Democratic League (LSDM) has accused the government of intentionally obstructing the European path, of not wanting reforms and not allowing the functioning of the rule of law.
The government will listen to messages on constitutional changes from Brussels
Meanwhile, the European Council is preparing to adopt conclusions on enlargement. This is expected to happen on December 16, when Prime Minister Mickoski and other representatives of the Macedonian Government will be in Brussels, where the EU-Western Balkans summit will also be held.
According to draft conclusions, which Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty previously saw, the Council plans to make another call to North Macedonia to fulfill its obligations and carry out constitutional changes.
Is the EU ready to accept new members?
According to these draft conclusions, the Council "confirms its readiness to convene another intergovernmental conference, without further delay or additional political decisions."
It also states that " The Council is ready to open the first negotiating chapter group as soon as possible ."
These conclusions are based on European Commission reports published in November regarding the progress of countries aspiring to membership./ REL
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