Bulgaria Delays North Macedonia’s EU Accession Resolution

Bulgaria is exerting pressure on the European Parliament to delay the vote on a report concerning North Macedonia’s accession process to the European Union. Sofia accuses the rapporteur of being overly favorable towards Skopje, according to Politico. All 17 Bulgarian Members of the European Parliament signed a letter condemning Austrian Green MEP and rapporteur for North Macedonia, Thomas Waitz. They accuse him of being improperly influenced by North Macedonia’s government and ignoring violence against the Bulgarian minority in the country. Meanwhile, Waitz stated that he has become a target because he did not yield to the pressures from Sofia. Bulgaria has long accused its neighbor of falsifying their shared history and denying the Bulgarian roots of North Macedonia’s language and identity. Sofia has repeatedly used its veto right to block Skopje’s accession path, demanding constitutional and educational reforms as prerequisites. The accusations began when Waitz resisted efforts by Bulgarian MEPs to weaken the recognition of a distinct ‘Macedonian’ identity by the European Parliament, as he himself reported.