European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, said Bulgaria and North Macedonia must “begin negotiations and find a solution to their bilateral issue,” Bulgarian News Agency BGNES reported on Monday.
Speaking before the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, the Slovenian commissioner said the European Commission is seeking ways to simplify procedures in the EU accession process, warning that unresolved “bilateral disputes” risk undermining enlargement efforts.
“Negotiations should move forward once the constitutional changes [in North Macedonia] are implemented,” Kos added, stating she is ready to assist the process.
Her remarks drew a sharp response from Bulgarian MEP Andrey Kovatchev (EPP/GERB), who emphasized that the issue at hand stems not from a bilateral disagreement but from the conclusions adopted by the EU Council in 2022 and the official negotiating framework.
“This is not a bilateral dispute,” Kovatchev said, accusing authorities in Skopje of wasting valuable time for North Macedonia’s citizens by failing to meet EU accession commitments.
“You know very well that this is not about bilateral disagreement,” he added, addressing Kos directly.
Separately, MEP Ivaylo Valchev (ECR/ITN) questioned how North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski was able to comment on a specific amendment to the EU Parliament’s draft progress report the day after it was submitted by MEP Thomas Waitz, suggesting an unusual level of access.
MEP Stanislav Stoyanov (NI/Vazrazhdane) added that the issue was no longer just between Sofia and Skopje. “This is not a bilateral dispute, but one between the EU as a whole and North Macedonia,” he said.