There are no other options, because there can be no change in Bulgaria’s position, no changes in the negotiation framework, and any statement from a politician in Skopje suggesting that such changes are possible is unrelated to the political and legal reality in the EU and is manipulation of the Macedonian society.
By Anton Panchev, Sofia
Bulgaria will have a government, elected by the Parliament for the first time since the middle of last year. Four parties—GERB, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, “There Is Such a People,” and “Movement for Rights and Freedoms”—agreed to form the government, although “Movement for Rights and Freedoms” will not have representatives in it. This government coalition will be very fragile, not only due to the number of deputies expected to support it in Parliament (126 out of 240), but also because of the lack of trust and the continuous clashes so far between the coalition partners. Nevertheless, the formation of this government and how long it will function does not change anything for the Republic of North Macedonia, especially regarding its journey toward the European Union. Official Skopje has a clear agenda and tasks that must be fully fulfilled if the country’s leadership genuinely wants North Macedonia to join the European Union. The commitments undertaken by North Macedonia’s institutions—such as including the Bulgarian community in the state’s Constitution and fully realizing their collective rights according to the Constitution and laws of the country—are part of the EU negotiation framework. This framework also includes the Friendship Treaty signed on August 1, 2017, the protocols signed in 2022, and other EU acts guaranteeing equal rights for the Bulgarian community alongside other communities in North Macedonia. There is no political factor or real mechanism that can alter this framework, which has been approved by EU institutions and all member states. On the other hand, the Bulgarian political factor—all political parties and state institutions—are unified and have a common stance on protecting the rights of the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia. In this context, any statements from Macedonian politicians suggesting that there could be new negotiations or changes in the negotiation framework, implying concessions from the EU or Bulgaria, have no basis in reality. The government that will or will not be in Sofia has no impact on negotiations between North Macedonia and the European Union for membership, and various exotic ideas like “delayed implementation” of constitutional changes only slow down the process.
It should also be noted that there is NO bilateral dispute between Bulgaria and North Macedonia, but the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia demands equal rights with all other communities in the country. Bulgaria and the European Union support the demands of local Bulgarians because they are discriminated against, and the Macedonian state violates its own Constitution and laws, as well as the Copenhagen criteria.
Therefore, the issue between the Republic of North Macedonia does NOT “concern history, language, or Macedonian identity,” but concerns the rights of the Bulgarian community in the state. The Copenhagen criteria for EU enlargement are clear—countries applying for membership must meet these prerequisites: 1. Rule of law, 2. Human rights, 3. Broad public consensus for EU membership.
The Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia contains amendments guaranteeing the collective rights of “parts of the people…(ethnically)” concerned. It is enough to mention just the 8th Amendment of the Constitution: “1. Members of communities have the right to freely express, cultivate, and develop their identity and the features of their communities and to use their community’s symbols. The Republic guarantees to all communities the protection of their ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious identity.” Unfortunately, the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia has not been officially recognized, and their rights are not respected. On the contrary, textbooks and academic books severely falsify Bulgarian history and culture, racist insults and other stigmatizations against Bulgarians are spread in the public space, their cultural heritage is destroyed, and they are not represented in public institutions.
In this context, based on EU principles and norms and the legislation of the Republic of North Macedonia, the demands of the Bulgarian community in this state are as follows: 1. The Bulgarian part of the population living in North Macedonia should be included in the country’s Constitution and protected by the state’s laws; 2. The identity of Bulgarians in North Macedonia, as an integral part of human rights, should be respected and protected by state laws and institutions—language, historical memory, monuments, textbooks, etc.; 3. Racist insults against Bulgarians in textbooks and academic books should be removed, and strong efforts should be made to prevent hate speech against Bulgarians in the public space; 4. If there are disputes between communities in North Macedonia about periods, events, artifacts, or historical figures, they should be resolved based on “historical sources, based on authentic evidence for scientific treatment of historical events” (Article 8, point 2 of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness, and Cooperation, signed on August 1, 2017; point 80 of the European Parliament Resolution on the Commission Report on North Macedonia from May 19, 2022).
Only in this way will disputes be resolved, and North Macedonia’s EU integration will be realized in accordance with the acts of this Union.
Bulgaria supports the demands of the Bulgarian community and does not interfere with the constitutional model of North Macedonia because other communities are included in the 4th Amendment of its Constitution. Thus, the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia includes collective rights based on ethnicity, and no ethnic community can be discriminated against or deprived of any right that is within the country’s Constitution.
The Bulgarian state has never pressured the Macedonian state regarding what constitutional model should be adopted, but it cannot allow the basic rights of the Bulgarian community in this state to be restricted.
Another matter must also be clarified, for which there have been misinterpretations. Often, officials in Skopje “ask for guarantees that there will be no new demands from Sofia” and that after that, the Constitution would be changed. There may be some misunderstanding here. The Bulgarian community in the Republic of North Macedonia should enjoy all the rights that are within their Constitution and state laws. Including Bulgarians in the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia is only the beginning of the journey towards equal status for Bulgarians in this state. Thus, Bulgarians in North Macedonia should receive all the collective and individual rights that are foreseen in the state’s legislation. An elementary but necessary example: the national hero of Albanians, Gjergji Kastrioti Skanderbeg, is treated as an Albanian hero in textbooks. King Samuel should be treated as a Bulgarian king in the textbooks in North Macedonia because all authentic sources (all of them) present him as a Bulgarian king, and this has been decided by the Joint Commission of Experts for Historical Issues.
If the relevant authorities in North Macedonia refuse to implement this decision in the textbooks, they will violate their Constitution—specifically the amendments that guarantee the expression of community identities in the country, they will violate the Treaty and two protocols with Bulgaria (international treaties and good neighborliness as membership criteria), and they will also violate EU norms for human rights and for handling historical issues (Copenhagen criteria and relevant EU acts). In such a case, there will be three reasons, each sufficient on its own, to block North Macedonia’s integration process. And this will be the case for every identity right of Bulgarians in North Macedonia if the Macedonian authorities reject or obstruct its implementation for the Bulgarian community. Including the Bulgarian community in the Constitution of North Macedonia cannot be treated solely as a formal act, after which the commitments of the state institutions are concluded.
Therefore, the institutions of the Republic of North Macedonia must act actively to fulfill the promises and commitments they undertook with official documents, which have an international character. There are no other options, because there can be no change in Bulgaria’s position, no changes in the negotiation framework, and any statement from a politician in Skopje suggesting that such changes are possible is unrelated to the political and legal reality in the EU and is manipulation of the Macedonian society.
Bulgaria was the first country in the world to recognize the independence of the Republic of Macedonia on January 15, 1992, and over these three decades, it has always supported Skopje in every aspect. In 2019, the Bulgarian Parliament unanimously voted for the Republic of North Macedonia’s membership in NATO, but official Skopje has not fulfilled any promise or commitment to Bulgaria and the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia, which has slowed down negotiations with the European Union.
The governing coalition in Skopje must understand that there cannot be a suspension of human rights. Any delay in including Bulgarians in the Constitution is not only a violation of North Macedonia’s international commitments, but also a violation of human rights. Specifically, for human rights, there cannot be “negotiations,” “delays,” etc. Bulgarians in North Macedonia will not be third-class citizens, and neither their organizations, nor Bulgaria, nor EU institutions will accept such discrimination.