The parliament of North Macedonia has passed a resolution in favour of an agreement with Bulgaria and France to resolve their long-standing dispute. The resolution also calls on the EU to make any draft negotiating framework for North Macedonia reflect Bulgaria’s position. However, the resolution also carries a major flaw. It does not clearly state whether or not the country will be allowed to keep its own language.
The vote came after opposition members walked out of the voting chamber. Most lawmakers supported the agreement, but a few voted against it. The opposition leader of the ruling party, Slavi Trifonov, has now withdrew his party from the ruling coalition after a no-confidence motion was passed. The opposition party plans to call early elections in the fall.
The country has been given EUR1.3 billion in development aid from the EU through the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance. The country’s motto is “The Sun, too, is a star”, and the sun from the North Macedonian flag is placed among the stars of the European flag. The country’s political life is led by the Committee for Euro-Atlantic Integration. This committee is chaired by the Prime Minister, and also includes the President of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
The deal was brokered through a French-brokered deal that ends the country’s dispute with Bulgaria and opens the way for EU membership talks. Opposition lawmakers in North Macedonia are concerned that the deal will allow Bulgaria to veto the country’s EU membership. But despite these worries, the agreement will allow North Macedonia to begin accession talks with the EU.
The parliament of North Macedonia has passed a French-brokered agreement aimed at ending the country’s long-running dispute with Bulgaria and paving the way for negotiations on EU membership. The agreement includes amending the country’s constitution to acknowledge the Bulgarian minority and new measures to protect minority rights and ban hate speech. However, the deal does not require Bulgaria to recognise the Macedonian language or the minority’s identity.
Opposition leaders and citizens have been protesting against the deal for months. The largest opposition party, the VMRE-DPMNE, said they would not support it unless it passed with two-thirds of the votes. Last month, the Bulgarian parliament lifted its veto on Macedonian-EU talks. However, the agreement triggered protests and even triggered a no-confidence vote against the Bulgarian government. The EU has been considering an agreement with North Macedonia for over 17 years.
The French proposal was not shown to the public, but was sent to both countries last week. Although it comes 11 days before the French presidency of the EU, the proposal has a slim chance of success. The main obstacle is the ongoing political turmoil in Bulgaria. There is a no-confidence vote in Bulgaria’s government this week. In the interim, the government of North Macedonia has decided to accept the proposal.
