site.btaCC Co-leader Petkov: No Concessions Should Be Made Regarding French Proposal Concerning Skopje’s EU Accession Negotiations

Continue the Change (CC) co-leader Kiril Petkov said that no concessions should be made regarding the provisions included in the so-called French proposal for the Republic of North Macedonia. Speaking to journalists, he responded to a question on how he would comment on the new attempt of the Republic of North Macedonia to request the start of EU membership negotiations before it has fulfilled the conditions for amending its constitution.

The French proposal refers to the Negotiating Framework for EU accession negotiations with North Macedonia, approved by the European Council on July 18, 2022 and based on the so-called "EU French Presidency proposal", aimed at addressing a number of moot points between Sofia and Skopje over language, history and the rights of ethnic Bulgarians in North Macedonia. Among other things, the proposal required the country to commit to amending its Constitution recognizing a Bulgarian minority and to abandon anti-Bulgarian hate speech as a precondition for the start of accession negotiations.

"We have an absolutely clear agreement with the EU. This is no longer just between the Republic of North Macedonia and Bulgaria, but between the Republic of North Macedonia and Europe, it is clear, it has its criteria, I don't think it should be touched in any way," Petkov said.  

"If you remember how much criticism we suffered for this agreement, but now everyone is saying how good this agreement between Europe and the Republic of North Macedonia is, because the Bulgarian issues are not only Bulgarian, they are the European issues of the Republic of North Macedonia on its way to Europe. I am proud of this proposal and of this agreement, then and now we will stand firmly within this framework," Kiril Petkov added.

On Friday, the President of the Republic of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, visited Sofia and met with the Bulgarian Head of State Rumen Radev.