EU – North Macedonia accession negotiations: the implications of the Bulgarian conditions

Before the October 2019 EU Council meeting, the Bulgarian Government adopted a Framework position, confirmed with a Declaration by its Assembly. Though supportive of the opening of the accession negotiations, the position places new conditions on the Republic of North Macedonia, claiming that they derive from the 2017 Treaty on Friendship, Good Neighbourly Relations and Cooperation Between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Bulgaria.

This document was followed by a Statement of the Bulgarian Government annexed to the Council conclusions of March 2020.

The European Policy Institute – Skopje published a policy brief analysing the Bulgarian conditions, compared to the bilateral Treaty. Furthermore, the Brief explores their possible impact, as well as the options for addressing the new challenges they pose for the EU accession of North Macedonia, focusing on the forthcoming negotiating framework, in view of the new enlargement methodology.