The Bulgarian parliament today voted in favour of lifting the veto on the start of accession negotiations between North Macedonia and the European Union, paving the way for the lifting of the deadlock and the start of talks.
"The decision was taken with 170 votes in favour, 37 votes against and 21 abstentions," deputy speaker of parliament Atanas Atanasov announced at the end of the vote.
The decision will now have to be ratified by the outgoing government of pro-European Kirill Petkov, who said yesterday he would act "quickly."
North Macedonia has been blocked[/B] in the EU lobby since 2005. Greece initially vetoed it until 2018 and then Sofia blocked the process in 2020 against a backdrop of long-standing historical and cultural disputes.
Bulgaria was however in 1992 the first country to recognise its neighbour's independence during the break-up of the former Yugoslavia, but relations between them subsequently intensified.
Because of this conflict, negotiations with Albania have also been halted as the EU has linked these two candidacies.
Today's vote in the Bulgarian parliament was made possible by the conversion of two opposition Bulgarian parties, including that of former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, in a context of mediation by France, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union this semester.
Under the compromise on the table, Skopje must notably commit to amending the country's constitution to include Bulgarians among recognized ethnic groups and "implement" a 2017 friendship treaty aimed at eliminating hate speech.
Leaders of these countries expressed their "dissatisfaction" yesterday, Thursday, and denounced the EU's lack of "credibility" following the 27-nation summit in Brussels.
The war in Ukraine has put the issue of EU enlargement in the Balkans back on the table and Western pressure on Sofia to lift its opposition has increased.
Despite opposition from much of the public and parties, Prime Minister Kirill Petkov has implemented an outreach strategy in recent months.
Differences nevertheless remain many and MPs warned today that the possibility of new obstacles cannot be ruled out if the talks stumble.
According to the text adopted today, "nothing in the EU accession process can be interpreted as recognition by Bulgaria of the Macedonian language", which Sofia considers a Bulgarian dialect.
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