The compromise attained in 2022, for North Macedonia’s European perspective has clear-cut conditions which the candidate country must meet before the negotiations open, as well as throughout the entire process of negotiations, reads the official answer by the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to a question by BGNES news agency about the future European integration of North Macedonia.

“The compromise covers three separate but mutually connected elements - the Council of the EU conclusions from June, 2022, the negotiating framework for North Macedonia, and the bilateral agreement on good neighbourhood from 2017 and the measures for its implementation. This compromise has been accepted by all EU member countries and the mechanism it has helped negotiate is European in character, not bilateral,” the position of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry reads.

Sofia “regularly informs Bulgaria’s EU partners and the European institutions of the state of relations with North Macedonia, including of the violations of the rights of Bulgarians which is part of the Copenhagen EU membership criteria,” the text reads.