Interesting developments. Adopting EP reports on North #Macedonia 🇲🇰 has never been a technicality, but the current level of politicization is unprecedented. See the full exchange in AFET Committee Press. More information below: 🧵 #Bulgaria 🇧🇬

What happened exactly? – #Bulgaria 🇧🇬 accused the EP of leaking an internal draft compromise amendment to officials in North #Macedonia 🇲🇰. #Bulgaria 🇧🇬 specifically refers to the comments made by PM Mickoski of North #Macedonia 🇲🇰 on the 1st of June. According to Sofia, the PM should not have been aware of this amendment because it hadn't officially been filed yet. The amendment proposed to add the prefix 'current' to the adjective 'Macedonian' in 'Macedonian language', i.e. 'the current Macedonian language', as a way to suggest that its official status is prone to revision. Although these amendments should indeed be EP confidential, it's not unusual for officials outside of the EP (and the odd journalist) to be in the loop. This is generally done on purpose by MEPs to stir the debate. In addition, this is probably not the first time that a Bulgarian (or Greek) deputy has tried to add the adjective 'current' to 'Macedonian language' in a EP resolution, so it could also just be good guesswork by Mickoski. However, it is also possible that North #Macedonia 🇲🇰 somehow gained access to draft amendments because of a leak in the secretariat. That possibility should at least be investigated, because that would be a breach of procedure.

Concurrently, the Bulgarian parliament unanimously passed a resolution on North #Macedonia's 🇲🇰 EU accession in which it rejects the notion of a 'bilateral dispute', recalling that the EU endorsed Bulgarian demands in a common EU position in the July 2022 Council Conclusions. The question here is why #Bulgaria 🇧🇬 feels this is necessary. The Council and other EU institutions have reiterated time and time again that North #Macedonia 🇲🇰 has to amend the preamble to its constitution (to include a specific reference to the Bulgarian minority) to proceed with the start of accession negotiations. That reality hasn't changed a bit, much to Skopje's chagrin:

The resolution adopted in #Bulgaria 🇧🇬 was subsequently criticized in Skopje, for example by North #Macedonia's 🇲🇰 president Siljanovska-Davkova, who considers it insulting and an obstacle to progress in the dialogue:

Conclusion: much ado about a process that has virtually been at a standstill ever since the formal start of accession negotiations with North #Macedonia 🇲🇰, this time targeted at EP rapporteur @thomaswaitz, who is merely trying to prepare an objective report about the current state of play, which will ultimately (and unfortunately) fall on deaf ears outside of this corner of the Balkans:

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@EP_ForeignAff It's disgraceful that Bulgarian Neo Nazi ideology (ironically we celebrated the 80 anniversary of Victory over Fascism in Europe) has been embraced by EU towards #Macedonia. You have to ask what values are these? Nazi Germany aligned Bulgaria was defeated in WW2 by the Allies.

@EP_ForeignAff the problem comes from the demand of NM that their "many centuries of history and identity" be recognized. any impartial person knows there's no NM history prior to 1945. I'm sorry NM doesn't like it, but it's a historic fact.

@EP_ForeignAff Bulgaria always on the wrong side of the history. This is more than obvious - people will wake up soon. Remember that. Truth always hurts. Fashism and nacism and again all around Europe. Warmongering machine is boiling……. Z

@EP_ForeignAff It was always about Bulgarian fascism or neo-nacism... About denying existence of minorities, their languages, history... Same like Hitler... Real EU values...

@EP_ForeignAff I wonder why you skipped that Bulgaria denies the existance of Macedonians, their language and history and claims that Macedonians are Bulgarians? Like real fascists

@EP_ForeignAff Neo-Nazism by Bulgaria. WTF?