SOFIA, Feb 10- Bulgaria’s new government has ruled out renegotiating conditions for North Macedonia’s European Union accession, rejecting efforts by Skopje to soften the terms of its membership talks, Euractiv.bg reported.
In 2022, Bulgaria and North Macedonia reached a French-mediated agreement aimed at unblocking Skopje’s EU integration. Under the deal, North Macedonia committed to amending its constitution to recognize the Bulgarian minority, while Bulgaria agreed to lift its veto on accession talks.
However, the process has stalled since the right-wing nationalist party VMRO-DPMNE won North Macedonia’s 2024 elections on a platform of staunch opposition to Bulgarian demands. Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski has argued that constitutional changes should only take effect after EU accession to prevent Bulgaria from imposing further conditions.
Bulgaria’s foreign minister reiterated that Sofia remains firm in its stance, emphasizing that the agreement is not a bilateral issue but a prerequisite set by Brussels.
“What was agreed is not a bilateral problem between Sofia and Skopje; it is between Brussels and our neighbours in North Macedonia,” the minister said, according to Euractiv.bg.
Mickoski, meanwhile, has sought to re-engage with Bulgarian officials.
“We need to build good neighbourly relations, but that does not mean we must agree on issues that divide us,” he said.
