“Change” blocks a joint project with MRF and GERB, acknowledged Genchovska’s merit for the breakthrough and thanked her
The government should approve the EU’s negotiating framework for the start of membership talks with Northern Macedonia – a mandate expected to be given to parliament on Friday. The item will be put on the agenda extraordinarily, after the external commission on Thursday approved a draft decision on this, submitted by Hristo Ivanov from the DB.
Thus, the deputies unblocked Skopje’s path to the EU on the second day of the European Council, at which Sofia had to come up with a position. From Brussels on Thursday, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov again explained that such a step would be possible only with a decision of the National Assembly. (For the reactions of the European leaders, see below.)
At the stormy meeting of the commission last night, the options of GERB and MRF were rejected. “We continue the change” blocked the attempts of the petitioners from the three parties to work out a common decision so as not to accuse them of being in a coalition with GERB and MRF.
4 conditions before the cabinet, before approving the negotiating framework, are set in the project of Hristo Ivanov. Among them are that the inclusion of Bulgarians in the constitution of the PCM will be on an equal footing with other nations, not just in the preamble. He also proposed a text that allowed Bulgaria to directly control the process in addition to the guarantees of the negotiating framework.
The BSP, ITN and Vazrazhdane have now spoken out against a decision on the issue. Adoption of such positions is hasty, we do not need it in the situation we are in – a resigned government, a resigned foreign minister to sign protocols with a country that has already rejected the proposal, explained the deputy head of the Socialist Party Christian Vigenin. He insisted on the decision to take the next government.
All three decisions are different from those of the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court so far, the issue of language remains pending and in our opinion does not meet the national interest of Bulgaria, Toshko Yordanov from ITN was categorical. Read the words of Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski that he rejects the French offer.
The resigned Foreign Minister Teodora Genchovska explained to the deputies that the time for Bulgaria’s decision on the Macron plan is not limited to this meeting of the EU Council, but could be taken in another format until the end of the French presidency. But
the deadline is June 28,
and it is possible to convene an extraordinary meeting of the Council or to adopt the negotiating framework and the conclusion and to sign it.
This is a proposal from the French Presidency and is valid until its end. I cannot commit to what will happen in the Czech Republic (the country will take over the presidency on July 1), Genchovska explained.
She sent a 15-page report to the European Commission, which she read to MEPs. She also submitted a draft decision to the Council of Ministers, which was not adopted.
Later, the PP announced that “the proposal of the Council of the EU is an incredible success of Bulgarian diplomacy, the credit goes to Minister Teodora Genchovska.” And they thanked her for that.
In order to convene the commission, without whose decision the process cannot be activated, it came after
all day political shuttles
and a long thought on the part of the PP on how to proceed. In recent days, Petkov also backed down, explaining that such a decision should be made only after a broad public debate. Early in the morning, the topic was also raised at the Parliamentary Council of Presidents.
Then GERB called on the National Assembly to take a decision that would “erase the shame” from the position with which Petkov is going to Brussels. The MRF directly accused him of continuing to sabotage the accession process of Northern Macedonia.
Hristo Ivanov spoke on the subject with the Ambassador of France, revealed by “Vazrazhdane”. He was accused of seizing government powers and treason. He replied that he had defended the national interests because the Macron offer was the best that Bulgaria could achieve and it was a matter of elementary political responsibility to maintain communication with our European partners.
I will not call Mitrofanova to ask her how to leave Macedonia in the orbit of the Kremlin and Belgrade, Ivanov was angry at “Binding”. He called for “we should stop tackling this topic like children with pillows”. And if someone does not believe that the proposal is good for Bulgaria, to hear the leader of the opposition in RSM – that this is the Bulgarianization of Macedonia.
Surprisingly, Deputy Prime Minister Asen Vassilev came to the parliament and talked to Ivanov, and at that time the “Change” had met for an emergency meeting with the Minister of Defense Dragomir Zakov, who is a career diplomat.
No matter how things turned out in the Bulgarian parliament, a decision taken on Thursday would have been late anyway – the EU-Western Balkans summit was scheduled for early in the morning and ended in the afternoon, without EU leaders being able to make a firm promise to start of negotiations with Skopje. Due to the Bulgarian veto, Albania is also blocked on the way to the EU, whose Prime Minister Edi Rama visibly angry announced that he hopes his country will join the EU “before the next century”. (See below.)
Immediately after the Balkan meeting in Brussels, the regular two-day European Council began. The topic of EU enlargement is one of the leading ones, but the agenda explicitly states that the leaders will consider 3 other candidacies – Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.
It is theoretically possible for the EU to give the green light to Skopje and Tirana during the council, even if it is not on the agenda. But if it doesn’t happen by the end of Friday’s meeting, the case remains with the Czech Republic.
President Macron wanted Bulgaria’s veto to fall during the French presidency, but by the end of June it is unlikely that all leaders will be able to meet in an emergency. The next regular council is scheduled for October.
Moreover, from Brussels, Macedonian Prime Minister Kovachevski said Macron’s offer “in this form is unacceptable to me, the president, the government, coalition partners and the citizens of Northern Macedonia.” Skopje
he also wants guarantees that Sofia will not set new requirements
beyond what will be agreed in the negotiating framework and the bilateral protocol.
The authorities there are under strong pressure from the largest opposition party VMRO-DPMNE not to allow any concessions to Bulgaria. “The next hours and days will be important to see if we find an agreement … it’s still a little early,” Macron admitted. According to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte
there is “a lot of irritation” because of the Bulgarian veto
“Nothing is easy in the Balkans, but I think there is a 60-40% chance of a breakthrough next week,” he said.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis proposes setting 2033 as the deadline for completing the accession process in the Western Balkans.
Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania:
You are a disgrace to Europe!
“A new day in Europe, but not in Bulgaria! What a disgrace for Europe is this Bulgarian affair! ” The day of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama began on Thursday with this angry post on Twitter. He, along with Serbian President Alexander Vucic and Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski, were in Brussels for the EU-Western Balkans summit.
According to Rama, by blocking the start of negotiations between the EU and Northern Macedonia, Bulgaria is holding two NATO member states hostage. Albania is also hampered because the EU has linked Tirana’s progress towards membership to that of Skopje.
“During a very hot war in the backyard of Europe, a NATO member country kidnaps two other NATO members in front of 26 EU countries sitting motionless in a frightening demonstration of impotence!” Frame.
The leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Montenegro also attended the meeting in Brussels.
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