Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria
09 July 2025 News
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledges the resolution adopted by the European Parliament with a strong majority, which avoids drawing the institution into attempts at political instrumentalisation by the Republic of North Macedonia aimed at circumventing the commitments arising from the so-called European compromise of 2022. In the context of the enlargement of the European Union, issues relating to identity and language should be addressed within the framework of academic and scholarly discourse, as by their very nature they do not fall within the scope of institutional assessment of a candidate country's progress against the objective and measurable criteria for accession.
Through its decision, the European Parliament reaffirmed its role as an impartial and independent institution, committed to monitoring the reform progress of the Republic of North Macedonia. Particular importance is attached to the findings concerning the rule of law, the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, the functioning of democratic institutions, the implementation of key reforms, the fulfilment of treaty-based obligations, as well as the influence of external actors. These are the areas which should remain at the core of the efforts of the authorities in Skopje if the goal remains full and lasting European integration.
The Republic of Bulgaria consistently supports the European perspective of all countries in the Western Balkans region, based on objective membership criteria and in strict adherence to the principle of own merits. Departures from established conditionality, as well as attempts to use European institutions for short-term domestic political gain, not only delay the accession process but also undermine trust among countries in the region. This has a negative impact on good-neighbourly relations, which constitute a horizontal and indispensable element of the process of joining the European Union.