The German EU Presidency hopes hopes that North Macedonia and Bulgaria will find common ground on their dispute and that the process will take into account the requirements by both sides, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told Monday’s joint press conference with Macedonian and Bulgarian counterparts, Bujar Osmani and Ekaterina Zaharieva respectively.
FM Maas said the German EU Presidency is holding discussions with both North Macedonia and Bulgaria, considering the remarks by both sides, adding it is a bilateral issue that must be solved by the countries concerned.
“In the sense of resuming the process of North Macedonia and Albania’s EU integration, I must note that the candidate should not have any unresolved issue of any type, be it political issues or ones related to certain historic events in the region. This country will have to talk to the concerned member-state and find a solution. The establishment of the joint Macedonian-Bulgarian commission of historians had the task to do this and I hope a solution will be found for this bilateral issue, because the longer these processes exist, the harder it will be to organize the enlargement process and the intergovernmental conference,” said Maas.
He did not provide a specific answer to the question whether the moves by Sofia prevent North Macedonia’s EU accession and if the Bulgarian requirements alter the EU fundamentals. The German FM also failed to respond whether this opens a process of reviewing European values related to human freedoms and rights, diversity and tolerance, but mentioned that the Council of the EU is working hard on ensuring the next step in the enlargement process.
“We are working hard in the Council to ensure that the next step of the enlargement process is realized very soon. All of this is in accordance with EU principles. The Union has 27 member-states and Bulgaria is one of them. Bulgaria’s interest must be taken into account. Unfortunately, this is the case when a country joins the EU, the negotiating framework must be approved by all members,” said Maas.
He expressed hope that a solution would be reached on the bilateral problems between Bulgaria and North Macedonia, but only by both of them.
“This is a prerequisite for the intergovernmental conference and we will continue to work hard on this, in line with the requirements of both sides. We are doing this within the EU and our Presidency, but we cannot make decisions related to bilateral issues and in this case we depend on the agreement between Bulgaria and North Macedonia,” said Maas.
