site.btaMEP Andrey Kovatchev: Bulgaria Has Always Supported North Macedonia’s EU, NATO Membership

Bulgaria has always supported North Macedonia's membership in NATO and the EU, and this is a consistent policy aimed at overcoming the hatred of the past, said Bulgarian MEP Andrey Kovatchev (GERB/EPP) in an interview with the local television channel TV 21. He emphasized that any obstacles created in the past must be overcome. 

Kovatchev criticized the political leaders in North Macedonia, saying they wasted the country’s time instead of starting negotiations with the EU. “Instead of leading the way in European integration, they’ve spent time going to Brussels, Washington, and Paris to argue for changes in the negotiation framework. This is wasted time. A European framework for negotiations has been accepted by all 27 EU member states, the parliament in Skopje, and the Bulgarian parliament, so all these efforts that the government in Skopje is making are detrimental to the European future of North Macedonia,” Kovatchev added. 

He also pointed out that politicians in Skopje cannot explain why bilateral issues should remain outside the negotiation framework, as these are not just bilateral issues but core human rights. "Good neighborliness is a key criterion for EU membership,” the MEP said. 

He further stated, "You can’t create a family while having someone in the next room who hates you and uses hate speech in schools and media. And someone openly declaring themselves as Bulgarian in North Macedonia can’t advance in their career. How many people in the police, the prosecution, the judiciary, or government openly say they are Bulgarians? There are Serbian and Albanian ministers, deputy ministers, and judges—no one has a problem with that.”

Kovatchev noted that many people in North Macedonia are afraid to admit they are Bulgarian because they fear their businesses will be destroyed, they will lose their jobs, or their children will be bullied.

“What kind of Bulgarian dictate are North Macedonia's authorities talking about? There are extreme parties in Bulgaria who think that the fact that Bulgaria accepted the European proposal (for a negotiating framework for North Macedonia) is very bad and a betrayal. But these parties are few. In North Macedonia, unfortunately, I see that the ruling party (VMRO-DPMNE) has this narrative. Where is the dictate in ensuring every citizen has human rights—whether Croat, Montenegrin, Macedonian, Serb, Albanian, Vlach, or Egyptian? The problem arises only when someone is Bulgarian. Is this normal? Is this a dictate?” Kovatchev said.

The MEP recalled that the European proposal for North Macedonia’s negotiation framework includes the implementation of agreements with Greece and Bulgaria, as well as annual protocols attached to the agreement with Bulgaria. "An international agreement, like the one between Greece and now the Republic of North Macedonia and between Bulgaria and then the Republic of Macedonia, must be implemented, it is part of the good neighbourliness that is mandatory. We will be together in the European Union. These are not bilateral disputes, and I want to make this clear—there is no bilateral dispute with Bulgaria,” Kovatchev said. 

Regarding claims from Skopje’s leaders that Bulgaria has several rulings from the European Court of Human Rights, Kovatchev clarified that the Strasbourg Court has never ruled that Bulgaria must recognize minorities.