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President Rumen Radev and Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev are in dialogue, but there is still no softening of Sofia’s position on the accession of RS Macedonia. PHOTO: PRESIDENCY OF THE PRESIDENT
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It is theoretically possible to vote on December 15, but it is very unlikely
The election of the new Bulgarian government may come as a surprising link to the forthcoming European Council meeting on 16 and 17 December. On the agenda of the last meeting of European leaders this year is expected to be
the question of the start of negotiations for
the accession of the Republic of Northern Macedonia
to the EU, which is currently blocked by Bulgaria. Authorities in Skopje have repeatedly expressed hope that pressure from Brussels on Sofia will finally pay off.
However, there will be no Bulgarian government before this date, even if an agreement has been reached on the names of the future ministers between the coalition partners “We continue the change”, BSP, “There is such a people” and “Democratic Bulgaria”.
The procedure provides for the president to first consult with all parliamentary forces. With 7 parties in the new National Assembly, this will take at least 2 days. Thus, the earliest possible date on which Radev can serve his first term is December 8. After that, a 7-day period begins, in which “We continue the change” to nominate its candidate. This means that on December 15 a new government can be voted and the new prime minister can participate in the council, but without having time to prepare for meetings with European counterparts and without being familiar in detail with the positions of our country.
However, according to acquaintances, the election of the government may be protracted for tactical purposes – if our country is represented at the meeting in Brussels not by the new Prime Minister, but by President Rumen Radev, there will be no expectations for a clear Bulgarian position.
The BSP insisted that there should be no retreat from the Bulgarian interest on the topic of the negotiations for the membership of RS Macedonia in the EU and made this one of the
its two red lines in the negotiations
under the program of the next government.
The other parties united around this request. The DB believes that unblocking the dialogue with our western neighbor could go through revision of textbooks, study of the literature of the two communities and rehabilitation of those repressed by the Yugoslav regime and payment of compensation to these groups.
The leader of the negotiations “Continuing Change” Daniel Laurer, whose name is associated with the Foreign Minister, summed up last Saturday: , construction of Corridor 8, common cultural calendar, adaptation of textbooks so that the hate speech can disappear, the integration of PCM in the EU with the help of the technical expertise of Bulgaria, the historical commission to continue its work.
Two days ago, Radev and Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who is expected to resign soon, discussed the issue in a telephone conversation at the initiative of the RSM prime minister. The two discussed issues such as finding a solution through
high-level dialogue
and the rights of self-identified Bulgarians in RS Macedonia, the press office of the Bulgarian head of state announced. For Radev, the rights of Bulgarians have become a key pillar of the dialogue to resolve the bilateral dispute. Skopje says a breakthrough is possible this year.
The topic was raised by Radev in early October, when he represented Bulgaria at the EU-Western Balkans summit in Slovenia. At the time, he and Zaev had a personal meeting with EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhei, as well as with EC and European Council Presidents Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel. And Radev was adamant that “the key to Bulgaria’s agreement to start RS Macedonia’s EU membership talks is not complicated and depends on Skopje unconditionally abiding by the Friendship and Good Neighborliness Agreement signed in 2017.” The president warned that it was a waste of time for the RSM to wait for a change of government in Bulgaria.
Radev also listed some of the Bulgarian conditions:
1. The Macedonian Bulgarians to be truly equal with the other seven constituent parts of the people, which are explicitly enshrined in the constitution of the RSM.
2. This means that the Macedonian Bulgarians should be adequately reflected as a nation and as a number in the census process, in its results.
3. Just as the historical truth in relations with Greece was recognized, so the historical truth in relations with Bulgaria should be recognized.
Radev also announced that he expects from RSM Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and President Stevo Pendarovski bold decisions, which will include “breaking with the ideologues of the totalitarian past, Macedonianism and hatred of Bulgaria” and “finally open the perspective of our brothers. towards European membership ”. The pressure on Bulgaria remains strong. On Tuesday, Radev spoke with his Austrian counterpart, Alexander van der Belen. It is clear from the press release about the conversation that his focus was on RS Macedonia. Radev stressed the position of our country that the productive bilateral dialogue between Sofia and Skopje is an indispensable tool for overcoming controversial issues.
At the meeting on 16 and 17 December, EU members will be represented at the highest level – president or prime minister. As a rule, the final agenda is also published at least one week before the day of the meeting.
However, it is clear from the preliminary program that the COVID crisis will also be discussed at the meeting. There have been talks for several days about whether the leaders should not meet in an emergency meeting because of the Omicron option. Subsequently, the EU has decided not to hold such a meeting for the time being, and the 27 health ministers will assess the situation next Tuesday.
Other topics that will be addressed are energy and defense. On Wednesday, the EC proposed that Poland, Latvia and Lithuania temporarily not strictly comply with EU migration rules. This must now be accepted by the Council of the EU as well.
More details on the topics to be discussed at the council are usually provided by the letter in which President Charles Michel traditionally invites leaders to Brussels. However, it is published only a day or two before the summit.
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