Germany is convinced that the current stalemate in North Macedonia’s EU accession process will be resolved after the snap elections in Bulgaria on 27 October, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday.
The EU decided to start accession talks with North Macedonia in 2022, but the first round of negotiations has not started as the country’s accession path is blocked over a dispute on the recognition of Bulgarian minorities in the Macedonian constitution.
“There are currently elections in Bulgaria and (…) we must seize the opportunity after that,” Germany’s foreign minister told journalists on Tuesday, referring to upcoming snap elections in Bulgaria.
Baerbock pointed out that the election campaign in North Macedonia earlier this year had also made it difficult to discuss constitutional changes. The newly elected government is keen on renegotiating a new compromise deal, leaving the matter in political limbo once again.
The hope is that after the Bulgarian elections, “the step of amending the constitution can be taken together, but in such a way that it is also possible for North Macedonia,” Baerbock said, hinting at the measure’s unpopularity.
Any constitutional changes require a parliamentary majority, which was not possible before the last elections, or currently.
“I’m making this clear to Bulgaria,” she added while arguing for liberalising the accession rules, which require unanimous support for negotiations from all EU countries.
Germany has long been a proponent of EU enlargement toward having Western Balkan states join the club, going as far as launching the Berlin Process in 2014 to accelerate the region’s accession. A summit in Berlin on Monday marked the 10th anniversary of the process.
A troublesome partner
Macedonian Foreign Minister Timcho Mucunski warned that North Macedonia’s EU bid must not be made an issue in the election campaign.
“We hope that we can find rational solutions with the government after the elections in Bulgaria with the support of Germany,” he said.
Since taking office in June, North Macedonia’s new centre-right government has been embroiled in controversy over diplomatic spats and calls to renegotiate the 2022 compromise.
North Macedonia president stokes controversy at inauguration
North Macedonia’s first woman president was inaugurated on Sunday (12 May), with the new nationalist leader angering Greece after a speech that did not acknowledge her country’s new name.
This led EU officials last month to decouple North Macedonia’s progress towards EU membership from that of its neighbour Albania, which was able to start accession talks on Tuesday.
This adds another chapter to the country’s troubled journey towards EU membership. North Macedonia was even forced to change its name from Macedonia in 2018 to address Greece’s concerns, as Athens laid claim to the previous name.
(Nick Alipour | Euractiv.de)
Source: euractiv.com
