site.btaGovernment in Skopje Approves Constitutional Revisions Adding Bulgarians to Country's Basic Law

The government in Skopje announced Tuesday approving proposed revisions to the Constitution. Next, they will be sent to Parliament to start the parliamentary procedure for its adoption, said the government press office. 

The proposal for the revisions was prepared by a working group made up of experts, professors from several universities, as well as representatives of political parties - and no opposition representatives.  

The changes add more "parts of peoples" in the preamble of the Constitution and in Articles 49 and 78, which list the "parts of peoples" in North Macedonia, including Bulgarians.   

"The proposed constitutional amendments strengthen the multi-ethnic character of the Republic of North Macedonia. Our country is a successful example of a functioning, multi-ethnic democracy in the region and in Europe and an example for respect for civil and human rights, which is why our country is rightly perceived as a mini Europe. We have shown the region, Europe and the world that the coexistence of different communities in the country, for centuries in history but also today, and the mutual respect of different traditions and cultures are a wealth and an asset. The Republic of North Macedonia respects European values and deserves to be a full member of the European Union after NATO membership. The Government appreciates that the citizens and the country have a unique opportunity to consolidate their European path, to step up European integration and to achieve their European goal by 2030. People deserve to be European citizens, to have a European quality of life and European living standards in a European country," the government said.

It also says that it expects all parties in Parliament to have a constructive approach and help reach a cross-party consensus for adopting the constitutional amendments as part of the negotiating framework with the European Union. 

The vote on the constitutional changes will be followed by a second intergovernmental conference with the EU before December 2023 and the start of the opening of the negotiating chapters.  

"The government calls for reason and awareness of the existing momentum, through which the country has the opportunity to avoid years of isolation and finally capitalize on its European prospects," the statement says.