Macedonia

Three Western Balkans leaders expressed displease over the poor outcome of the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday.

"The proposal of the French Presidency is unacceptable in this version for the Republic of North Macedonia".

This was stated by Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski at a press conference after the Western Balkans-European Union summit in Brussels.

The French presidency's proposal to resolve the dispute shook the Macedonian government after three small parties threatened to leave if the cabinet approved a draft sent to the Bulgarian parliament to end the dispute between Skopje and Sofia.

At the EU-Western Balkans summit in Brussels and at the meeting of European leaders after that, no concrete proposal is expected from Bulgaria to lift its veto on North Macedonia.

Slavi Trifonov's actions are against the background of a tangible public reluctance for new sharp political movements - the public background is not in favor of new elections and even government changes. The new French proposal for North Macedonia came amid a continuing firm belief that Skopje has not done enough to remove Bulgaria's "block".

The leaders of the six countries in the region were invited to a meeting with the leaders of the European Council, which should be held tomorrow before the beginning of the regular June summit of the Union, at which enlargement will be discussed.

"We would not have received the French proposal, which is the best so far if Bulgaria had not vetoed two enlargement councils last year with a clear position and argument".

"I advised Prime Minister Kovachevski not to go to the summit in Brussels just to take pictures and to endure the humiliation of Bulgaria," President Stevo Pendarovski said in an interview with TV24.

During the meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to the EU /COREPER/, which took place yesterday, there was a discussion on the preparation of the upcoming summits on July 23-24, 2022.

As France made last-ditch efforts to unclog North Macedonia's stalled EU accession process, currently blocked by Bulgaria, ahead of this week's EU summit, North Macedonian experts expressed strong doubts about the French proposal.