Bulgaria urges North Macedonia to fulfil its commitments

Organizations of the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia have issued an official letter of objections to the revised draft of the Action Plan on Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Persons Belonging to Communities in the former Yugoslav republic. This action plan is a key document, part of the 2022 European Consensus, the implementation of which will be monitored throughout the entire negotiation process for North Macedonia’s future accession to the EU.

In their position, the Bulgarians say that the document continues to fail to address the significant problems facing the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia. These include: systemic institutional pressure, uneven implementation of laws, severe restrictions on self-determination and freedom of association, lack of protection against discrimination and politically sponsored hate crimes. The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry supports the legitimate demands of the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia and calls on Skopje to hear the calls of its citizens and fulfil all commitments made to the EU and Bulgaria, an official position of the Bulgarian ministry reads.

Editor: Ivo Ivanov