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Exit News (3 July 2022)

Alice Taylorr

Tens of thousands of Macedonians took to the streets of Skopje on Saturday over the so-called ‘French proposal’ aimed at unlocking the Bulgarian veto over their EU accession, amid calls from civil society over “ethnicide” and comparisons of Bulgaria to Russia’s stance towards Ukraine. Sixteen years after North Macedonia was accepted as an EU candidate, while hoping to formally open accession negotiations, Bulgaria vetoed its path over issues regarding language, culture, and history, as well as claims of human rights violations of Bulgarians in the country. This also halted Albania’s path as the two Western Balkan neighbours were linked.

French President Emmanuel Macron then made a proposal to include the bones of contention from Bulgaria in the accession process. Skopje refuted the deal and said it did not take the wishes of Macedonians into account, such as the right to call their language aand identity Macedonian and the non-including of historical issues in the negotiating framework- clauses directly in conflict with Bulgaria’s demands.

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