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Bulgaria regrets the blocking of EU Council conclusions on enlargement

Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Photo: mfa.bg

Bulgaria has expressed regret after the EU member states approved the draft conclusions of the EU Council on the Enlargement Process on December 16, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have unexpectedly blocked the text, stating that it was unsatisfactory, BTA reported. At the insistence of Bulgaria, a sentence was added to the conclusions about the importance of the agreements of North Macedonia with Bulgaria and Greece, as well as that their implementation will lead to the end of all claims based on misinterpretation of history. 
"The veto over the Council's conclusions risks undermining trust in the EU and prevents the EU from sending much-needed signals to the Western Balkans in order to stimulate the necessary reforms that countries wishing to join must undertake," the position reads.
Bulgaria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarifies that the conclusions of the EU Council on Enlargement have nothing to do with the process of approving the negotiating frameworks with Albania and North Macedonia. Bulgaria welcomes the negotiating framework for Albania, and welcomes the additional time provided to improve the framework for North Macedonia.



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