North Macedonia accuses Bulgaria of blocking its EU accession

North Macedonia has accused Bulgaria of abusing its position as an EU member state to block Skopje's long-delayed path toward European Union membership, Foreign Minister Timčo Mucunski has said in an interview with Politico.

Mucunski noted that this was an absolute misusing of one’s position as an EU member state.

According to him, North Macedonians no longer believe Sofia will refrain from imposing new conditions on the country's accession process.

North Macedonia has sought EU membership since 2005 but has yet to begin accession negotiations because of Bulgaria's objections.

Mucunski also said the country had already made "far too many” concessions to maintain its EU candidate status. He stressed that North Macedonia changed its flag in 1995, renamed the country in 2019 to resolve a long-running dispute with Greece, and now fully aligns with the EU's foreign policy.

Despite those steps, Bulgaria continues to block accession talks, insisting that North Macedonia formally recognise the Bulgarian minority in its constitution. Mucunski further stated that Skopje is unwilling to accept that demand, leaving its EU membership bid effectively frozen.

Describing the current state of EU enlargement, the minister emphasised that Montenegro is on track to join the bloc in 2028, Albania closed its first three negotiating chapters in July, and Ukraine and Moldova are also making progress in accession talks.

By contrast, he said, North Macedonia has not closed a single negotiating chapter in more than 20 years.

"To say that we have been treated unfairly is an understatement," Mucunski added.

In his words, people in North Macedonia are tired of the rules of the game constantly changing.

The foreign minister insisted that North Macedonia has earned its place in the EU and expressed hope that Brussels would offer a "fair, predictable and credible path" toward membership.

He also argued that Bulgaria has the most to gain from our nation “moving forward on the path towards full membership.”

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov