Macedonia naming dispute

Bulgaria's parliament on Thursday adopted a declaration condemning the recent attack on a Bulgarian activist in neighbouring North Macedonia, an alleged "anti-Bulgarian campaign" in the country and warning that this could derail Skopje's EU integration.

A row over whether to change the constitution to appease neighbouring Bulgaria and progress on the path to EU accession will set the tone for 2023 in North Macedonia, for both the government and its opponents.

The European Union will send officers from its Frontex border agency to help Macedonian border guards fight illegal migrants after signing an agreement on October 20 to do so.

So far, it has been blocked by Bulgaria's veto on North Macedonia's EU integration, as Sofia did not allow the agreement to be signed in the Macedonian language.

Authorities in North Macedonia have told public and private entities to beef up their online security after the education ministry was targeted again.

"It makes no sense to hold a referendum when, regardless of the result, the opposition VMRO-DPMNE does not plan to vote. Only one referendum makes sense - whether you are in favor of EU membership or not, all the other questions are a way of getting around the only real question. No one in the government is satisfied with the compromise that was made with Bulgaria".

The foreign ministers of Bulgaria and North Macedonia signed the bilateral protocol to Art. 12 of the Treaty of Friendship, Good-Neighbourliness and Cooperation.

The document will form part of Skopje's negotiating framework for EU membership and contains measures for the history, hate speech and culture curricula.

With 68 votes "in favor" and none "against" and in the absence of MPs from the main opposition party VMRO-DPMNE and the small "Levitsa" formation, the parliament adopted draft conclusions, with which the cabinet is given direction on what it can and cannot negotiates in the European integration process.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria sent a note today to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia due to "numerous manifestations and slogans directed against Bulgaria".

The Central Council of the ruling Social Democratic Union /SDSM/ in the Republic of North Macedonia unanimously supported the French proposal to start negotiations for the country's EU membership.

The European Union's treats Western Balkans states as a wicked stepmother. While this has not significantly changed even after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it did trigger a fundamental debate on whether the EU wants at all to admit the remaining six Western Balkan countries (Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo) to full-fledged membership.