North Macedonia has been waiting two decades for concrete progress towards European Union membership, and its path to Brussels has once again been slowed by a bilateral dispute - this time with Bulgaria.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, Timčo Mucunski, assessed that his country has become an example of how disputes between states can delay the entire EU enlargement process, calling on Brussels to provide a clearer and more predictable path to membership.
Mucunski stated that North Macedonia has earned its place in the EU, while accusing Bulgaria of abusing its position as a member state. According to him, Skopje is growing increasingly frustrated that, despite holding candidate status for many years and aligning with EU foreign policy, it has yet to see concrete progress in negotiations.
North Macedonia obtained candidate status back in 2005 and formally began accession negotiations in 2022. However, it has not opened a single negotiating chapter to date. Meanwhile, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, and Moldova have made significant progress in their accession processes.
"Sometimes we are very frustrated by the lack of political action," Mucunski said in an interview with the Brussels-based portal Politico, adding that saying his country has been treated unfairly is an understatement.
Not the first time such an issue has delayed the path to the EU membership
North Macedonia's path to the EU was previously conditional on resolving a bilateral dispute. Skopje changed its flag in 1995 and its constitutional name in 2019 to resolve a long-standing dispute with Greece and remove one of the main obstacles to European integration.
Now, the issue with Bulgaria has emerged as a new hurdle. Sofia is demanding that North Macedonia amend its Constitution to formally recognise Bulgarians as a minority. Skopje currently rejects this demand without guarantees that its implementation will be the final bilateral condition set by Bulgaria during accession negotiations.
Mucunski noted that the issue of constitutional amendments has become "politically toxic" due to previous concessions. He stated that the citizens of North Macedonia are tired of constantly shifting conditions and fear that, even if the current requirement is met, a new one may follow.
"This is an absolute abuse of one's position as an EU member," Mucunski said, referring to Bulgaria's role in North Macedonia's accession process.
To illustrate the broader consequences of bilateral disputes, Mucunski cited relations between Ireland and the United Kingdom. He assessed that it would likely have been much harder for those two countries to resolve their differences had they not both been members of the European Union.
At the same time, Mucunski pointed out the paradox in relations between Sofia and Skopje. In his view, Bulgaria - second only to North Macedonia itself - would benefit the most from the country's progress towards full EU membership.
Although Skopje does not wish to question the EU's decision-making process, he believes North Macedonia deserves a clearer European path following numerous concessions.
"We do not have the luxury of alternatives to membership," Mucunski said, stating that he expects the EU to devise a fair, predictable, and credible path for North Macedonia's progress towards membership.
The case of North Macedonia remains a key issue exposing a broader dilemma in European enlargement policy: to what extent can bilateral disputes of member states affect a candidate country, and can the accession process remain predictable if new conditions arise even after previous obstacles have been removed?
(EUpravo zato)