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Bulgaria blocks Macedonia from joining the European Union

2026-11-03 16:31:52Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Bulgaria blocks Macedonia from joining the European Union

The President of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, has stated that the country's path towards membership in the European Union is being hindered by Bulgaria's request to amend the Constitution, with the aim of including the Bulgarian minority among the officially recognized communities in the country.

Speaking on Tuesday, on the sidelines of the Euronews Enlargement Summit, Siljanovska-Davkova said that North Macedonia has consistently made constitutional concessions in an effort to advance the European integration process, but that any further changes must be supported by citizens.

"We are champions of constitutional changes, we have amended the Constitution 26 times and most of these changes have been imposed on us," the president said.

She emphasized that her legitimacy stems from the citizens and that she cannot promise a new constitutional change without their support.

"My legitimacy comes from the citizens and belongs to them. So how can I promise you that we will change the Constitution?" Siljanovska-Davkova declared.

Constitutional change, a condition for unblocking negotiations

The request for the inclusion of Bulgarians in the Constitution of North Macedonia is part of the compromise reached in 2022, with the mediation of France, to unblock the country's European integration process.

Under this compromise, Skopje pledged to amend the Constitution to explicitly include Bulgarians among the country's recognized communities. However, the adoption of the changes requires a two-thirds majority in Parliament, support that the current government has failed to secure.

The President announced that, according to her, about 80 percent of citizens are against these changes. She added that the proposal has not yet even passed the first phase in the parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Affairs.

Siljanovska-Davkova argued that the main obstacle to the country's European integration is not related to the lack of reforms or failure to meet EU criteria, but to the lack of political will on the part of neighboring countries.

A long process, accompanied by political concessions

North Macedonia, a Balkan country with about 1.8 million inhabitants, applied for membership in the European Union in 2004, and received candidate country status in 2005. However, its path to the EU has been accompanied by ongoing political obstacles and disputes with neighboring countries.

One of the most important moments of this process was the 2018 agreement with Greece, through which the country changed its name from the Republic of Macedonia to North Macedonia, ending a long-standing dispute that had blocked its aspirations for NATO and EU membership.

Referring to this story, the president said that the latest request to amend the Constitution raises questions about the limits of concessions that a candidate country must make to meet the demands of neighboring states, before advancing towards membership in the European Union.

In power since mid-2024, the conservative-led coalition has a sizeable parliamentary majority, but this has not been enough to secure the votes needed for constitutional changes.

The President seeks solutions through dialogue

Despite the tensions with Sofia, Siljanovska-Davkova said she intends to continue efforts to find a solution through dialogue with Bulgarian political representatives.

She announced that she has held several meetings with former presidents and the current Prime Minister of Bulgaria, during which she expressed her concerns regarding the blockage of the European integration process.

"I have met several times with previous presidents and the current prime minister. I have expressed the same feelings and the same concerns and I will continue to do so, only through dialogue," she said.

However, the president was careful not to directly accuse Bulgaria of deliberately obstructing the country’s EU membership. Instead, she called for more pragmatism and political will on the part of neighboring countries to overcome differences and advance the European integration process.


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