site.btaBulgaria Has Not Imposed New Conditions on North Macedonia, Asks Skopje to Honour European Agreements, VP Iotova Says

Bulgaria’s Vice President Iliana Iotova has said that this country has never deviated from the agreed framework and has not imposed additional conditions for the start of North Macedonia's EU membership negotiations, but asks Skopje to respect the European agreements. "These are not demands from Bulgaria but European membership criteria, with the protection of human rights being the most important," Iotova said during a meeting with the special representative of Germany’s Government for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarrazin, here on Tuesday, the President’s Press Secretariat said.

The sides highlighted Bulgaria’s key role in the process of European integration of the Western Balkan countries. Iotova pointed out that in 2018, during Bulgaria’s presidency of the Council of the EU, this country brought back on the EU agenda the issue of European future of the Western Balkans, a process that was put on hold back in 2003. The Vice President said that the Sofia declaration adopted during the EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia was a key document that was not "further developed," the press release added.

"We expect Skopje to implement the agreements in the French proposal adopted in 2022 and approved by all EU Member States and North Macedonia," Iotova said. She added that Sofia expects Skopje to include Bulgarians in its Constitution, present tangible results from the activities of the joint commission on historical and educational issues, and take measures to counter the spread of anti-Bulgarian ideology, hate crimes, discrimination against those who identify as Bulgarians, hate speech against Bulgaria and Bulgarians in North Macedonia.

"So far nothing has been done. There are not even draft constitutional amendments. Moreover, Skopje is blocking bilateral and European projects," Iotova said, citing as an example Corridor VIII, an infrastructure project that is crucial for the entire region and the EU, the Press Secretariat said.

On Monday, caretaker Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov and Sarrazin exchanged views on the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries at a meeting at Kondov’s Ministry. The two highlighted the importance of the principle of own merits and the fulfilment of commitments to the EU.