A senior European Parliament rapporteur for North Macedonia warned on Monday that nationalist narratives in Bulgaria and North Macedonia are deepening divisions and slowing Skopje’s progress toward the European Union.
Thomas Waitz, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for North Macedonia, said Bulgaria was promoting “a strong national narrative that creates division and is directed against its neighbour,” adding that similar rhetoric was now visible in Skopje.
“For as long as both sides fuel these sentiments and widen the gap between our societies, we are not moving toward a successful European Union,” Waitz told Sloboden Pečat on the sidelines of the EU Enlargement Forum in Brussels.
Asked why North Macedonia was not represented at the forum by its prime minister or senior officials, Waitz said he believed Skopje had been invited.
“I am sure representatives from North Macedonia were invited today, but I do not know the organisational background. I would be surprised if this came from the European Commission. This is not a punishment,” he said. “I am sure an invitation was sent and that there were reasons why Prime Minister Mickoski or Foreign Minister Mucunski could not attend.”
Waitz added that despite Bulgaria’s ongoing veto on the accession process, the overall mood in EU institutions toward North Macedonia remained positive.
“Commission members and officials regularly contact me, looking for ways to support North Macedonia and asking what the next steps could be,” he said.
In Sofia, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev said Skopje must adhere to the 2022 bilateral consensus before the accession process can move forward, according to Bulgarian media.
“I have spoken many times with Timčo Mucunski. He knows our position very well. His role now is to convince his own government to stick to the 2022 consensus,” Georgiev told state television.
He said Bulgaria’s parliament had passed a resolution in May, with 209 votes in favour, obliging the government to follow only the 2022 framework. “We have not received a positive response from Skopje,” he said.
Georgiev added that actions by North Macedonia “raise doubts” about its commitment to EU integration, citing the government’s refusal to start constitutional changes that would include Bulgarians in the constitution.
“This failure to implement the 2022 consensus shows that even at the very beginning of the accession process, political inaction is undermining it,” he said.
Georgiev said he hoped “negative standards” imposed in recent months would be overcome. He contrasted North Macedonia’s pace with Albania and Montenegro, which he described as more active in pursuing reforms.
Former Bulgarian prime minister Kiril Petkov, speaking to Telma TV, said both countries must fully respect the French proposal that shaped the 2022 agreement.
“We Bulgarians must adhere to the French proposal, just as you must. That was the point where, despite all tensions, we could take a step forward together,” Petkov said. “Politicians change, agreements remain.”