Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev sent a letter to his counterparts in European Union member states expressing concern over what he described as North Macedonia’s continued refusal to implement the 2022 bilateral agreement and fulfill obligations agreed at the EU level.
In the letter, Georgiev cited as the “latest unnecessary provocation” an initiative submitted to North Macedonia’s Constitutional Court to review the constitutionality and legality of the protocol from the second meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on July 17, 2022, in Sofia. He said the initiative was coordinated with the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party and aimed to provide Skopje with a pretext to avoid implementing the agreed commitments.
“With growing concern, I am sending this letter on an issue that increasingly frustrates both my country and the European Union,” Georgiev wrote. He recalled that in July 2022, both countries had agreed on specific steps intended to guarantee North Macedonia’s EU membership, but that the Skopje government had failed to follow through.
Georgiev added that Bulgaria had made clear it would not impose additional conditions beyond those already agreed and would not accept changes to the EU consensus of 2022, regardless of any legal or political processes in North Macedonia.
According to the letter, Skopje’s approach, from Sofia’s perspective, has been characterized by confrontation, accusations, and persistent complaints rather than implementing the agreed measures for EU integration. Georgiev also warned that this undermines both public and EU trust in the enlargement process.
“Bulgaria has an agreement with North Macedonia, which we expect to be fully respected and implemented,” Georgiev said, urging EU colleagues to consider this position in discussions with authorities in Skopje. The letter was also addressed to the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi.
Separately, North Macedonia’s President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova criticized a proposed Social Democratic Union (SDSM) document outlining “red lines” on EU integration, calling it unnecessary and absurd.
“There were white lines, and now we are talking about red lines. This is absurd,” Siljanovska-Davkova said, highlighting that previous declarations and referendum results have often not been respected. She added that, instead of a new document, political parties should coordinate their positions and approach abroad.
The president also referred to Georgiev’s recent letter, which labeled the constitutional review initiative as an unnecessary provocation. “Our Constitutional Court is not under the jurisdiction of neighboring politicians,” Siljanovska-Davkova said.