Skopje received mostly positive feedback from the European Commission in its 2022 enlargement package, but the country is still unable to start membership talks due to the Bulgarian veto.
The authorities in Sofia accepted the French proposal to lift the veto, but the Macedonian parliament does not have a sufficient majority to change the country’s constitution to recognise the Bulgarians as an official minority.
“Existing bilateral agreements, including the Prespa Agreement between North Macedonia and Greece as well as the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation with Bulgaria, need to be implemented in good faith by all parties”, says the Commission’s report on North Macedonia.
The Commission agreed to be a guarantor for fulfilling Bulgaria’s main demands. Nearly 120,000 North Macedonians have Bulgarian passports, the main argument for the Bulgarian request.
The possibility of this happening is very small since the opposition party VMRO-DPMNE firmly refuses to support the requested constitutional changes.
Meanwhile, North Macedonia has been praised by Brussels for its foreign policy regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“North Macedonia has made very good progress by fully aligning with the EU common foreign and security policy following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. By doing so, North Macedonia has shown it can be a reliable partner,” the Commission’s report also writes. North Macedonia is providing full support to Kyiv to the best of its ability, including by sending tanks to the Ukrainian army.
The country is a much bigger donor to Ukraine than neighbouring EU member Bulgaria. The authorities in Skopje are also praised for their efforts “to strengthen democracy and the rule of law, despite some challenges”.
“The country has shown its commitment to continuing to deliver results in key areas of the fundamentals,” the report says. The Commission reports that the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (SCPC) has been proactive in providing policy guidance to public institutions on preventing corruption, and it opened several cases, including cases against high-level officials.
Macedonian media already commented on the Commission’s report, generally calling it a success for the country.
