SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria's parliament voted Friday to lift a veto that has long blocked European Union membership negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania, raising fresh hopes that the bloc can now press on with its expansion plans in the Western Balkans amid Russia's war in Ukraine.
France, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, had made last-ditch efforts this week to resolve an ethnic and cultural dispute between Bulgaria and North Macedonia that was the source of the veto.The Bulgarian government had insisted that North Macedonia formally recognize that its language has Bulgarian roots, acknowledge in its constitution a Bulgarian minority and quash "hate speech" against Bulgaria. North Macedonia had responded that its identity and language weren't open for discussion.
While North Macedonia's prime minister had opposed the French proposal, and Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov – who had been trying to settle the issue – was toppled by a no-confidence vote on Wednesday, the French plan ultimately altered the dynamics among enough Bulgarian lawmakers be approved. The vote to lift the veto passed with 170 in favor, 37 against, and 21 abstentions.
North Macedonia has held EU candidate status for 17 years and received a green light in 2020 to begin accession talks, but no date was set for the start of negotiations. Some have feared that by keeping North Macedonia away from the 27-nation bloc, Russia's grip on the Balkans will be strengthened.
Under the French proposal, North Macedonia would have to recognize in the preamble of its constitution that Bulgarians are one of the country's constitutive ethnicities.
A day before the Bulgarian vote, North Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski told reporters in Brussels that "the proposal in its current form is unacceptable to me, for the President, the Government, the coalition partners and people of the Republic of North Macedonia."
Kovachevski added that Skopje needs "strong guarantees" that Bulgaria will not add new requirements to the negotiating framework. "Let us join the Union proudly," he said.
For the better part of a decade, EU member Bulgaria has disputed the history of North Macedonia's ethnicity and language, a stance that inadvertently also stalled Albania's progress toward EU membership because the bloc treats the pair as a political package. All three countries are NATO members.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the vote was a "very good signal," adding that the technical work required to pave the way for a deal in the coming days will continue.
"There is still work to be done, I don't want to claim victory too early, but it's an important step forward," he said.
Ruslan Stefanov, program director at the Center for the Study of Democracy, a Sofia-based think tank, said that Friday's vote "externally and politically removes the pressure on Bulgaria."
"Things don't look the same in North Macedonia, though," he told The Associated Press. "It seems there has been quite sizeable public outcry as to not liking the proposal of the French presidency — so it might be a little bit more difficult for the government there."
By VALENTINA PETROVA, STEPHEN MCGRATH and SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press
McGrath reported from Sighisoara, Romania and Petrequin from Brussels. Konstantin Testorides in Skopje, North Macedonia, contributed to this report.
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