The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, today called on North Macedonia to proceed with the amendment of its Constitution, in order to include the Bulgarian minority living in the country. As he pointed out, this is a necessary step in order to continue the country’s accession path to the EU.

“We fully support North Macedonia on its path to the EU. You can count on us. The next and only step before the start of the accession negotiations is clear: you must make the agreed constitutional amendments. The ball is in your court. The EU is ready,” wrote Ursula von der Leyen on the “X” platform, after her meeting in Skopje with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Christian Mickoski.

In a statement from the government of North Macedonia, it is stated that in the meeting between the prime minister and the president of the European Commission, the country’s European perspective, the course of reforms, energy security and the digital transformation of North Macedonia were discussed.

After the meeting, there were no joint statements, apparently to avoid misinterpretations or political exploitation of the statements, in view of the municipal elections that will be held in the country on Sunday, October 19.

It is noted that North Macedonia’s European path remains stagnant, as Skopje has not fulfilled the obligations it undertook – based on a proposal presented by the EU in the summer of 2022. The proposal provides for the amendment of the Constitution of North Macedonia in order to include the Bulgarian minority living in the country.

The proposal was accepted by the previous center-left government of North Macedonia, but was unable to secure a 2/3 majority in the Parliament to amend the Constitution, due to the opposition of the country’s right-wing and current ruling party, Christian Mickoski’s VMRO-DPMNE.

Both Brussels and Sofia have repeatedly told North Macedonia that it will be able to open the chapters of accession negotiations with the EU, after first amending its Constitution. North Macedonia’s Prime Minister, Christian Mickoski, has repeatedly stated that “Bulgarian demands” will not be accepted by Skopje and that the country’s Constitution will not be amended.

According to the last population census carried out in 2021 in North Macedonia, Bulgarians make up only 0.2% of the country’s population (a total of 3,500 people), which Sofia disputes and considers that the percentage of Bulgarians in North Macedonia is much higher.

North Macedonia’s troubled relations with Bulgaria have worsened especially since the VMRO-DPMNE party took power in Skopje in June 2024. The two countries have historical, ethnic and linguistic differences.

Skopje was the last stop of the European Commission president’s three-day tour of the Western Balkans, which included visits to Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and North Macedonia.

The purpose of the tour was to reaffirm the EU’s support for the accession process of the countries of the region and to promote the EU Development Plan of 6 billion euros for the period 2024-2027, which aims, among other things, at the gradual integration of the Western Balkans into the EU Single Market.