We assimilate and become Bulgarian. This is what the Paris proposal to continue with EU enlargement would mean, according to Macedonia's opposition forces. In the small Balkan country hundreds of thousands took part in a protest against the left-wing government.

The EU has had Macedonia on hold for decades

Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in the northern Macedonian capital over the weekend. V4NA was one of the first to report on the events. During the demonstration, Hristijan Mickoski, the leader of the largest opposition party, the VMRO DPMNE (Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization – Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity), asked the country’s prime minister to say no to the French proposal, put forth to settle the debate with the Bulgarians.

According to Mickoski, ​​the Paris proposal is nothing more than an extension of the aggressive policy interfering in Macedonia’s internal affairs, which Macedonians have had to face for decades. He emphasized that his state has been waiting in the lobby of the European Union for 22 years, while those behind them in the queued had either already joined the bloc or begun accession negotiations with the EU.

“If we were to accept the French proposal, it would be nothing more than an immediate capitulation. This would mean, in part, that Macedonia would become a part of Bulgaria, equaling a diplomatic knockout punch against us. We would merge, then we would become Bulgarian, and then we could be a European people, or we may never become part of Europe. We are constantly faced with new and rigorous expectations and incomprehensible pressure,”

the head of the largest opposition coalition said.

Mickoski stressed that even if the current governing parties accept this proposal, which has been in the focal point of public discourse for a few days, it will not be applicable in the long run, because if one day the VMRO DPMNE party alliance assumed power, they would not honour the agreement.

The French proposal

The Bulgarian government is against starting EU accession talks with the small Balkan country and has vetoed it. In return for its support of Macedonia’s accession, Sofia expects clear guarantees from Skopje that it will safeguard the rights of Bulgarians living there and enshrine these guarantees in the constitution. Some Bulgarian politicians question Macedonia’s identity and language, with President Radev spearheading the belief that the roots of the Macedonian people and language are tied to the Bulgarians. But the origin of the language is not the only contentious issue between the two nations. Bulgaria occupied what is now northern Macedonia during World War II. Many still remember the many sacrifices this aggression has evoked. Sofia is specifically calling on Macedonians to no longer use the term Bulgarian fascist occupation for this period, but rather to refer to this time as the era of „Bulgarian administration.” There is also controversy over whether some of the heroes were Macedonians or, as Sofia claims, Macedonian Bulgarians.

North Macedonia’s leadership agrees that the situation of the Bulgarian minority needs to be settled. As their prime minister said earlier, he would be willing to negotiate the constitutional amendment requested by the Bulgarians, but not at this time. According to Dimitar Kovacevski, during the EU accession process, the constitution will have to be amended on several points, so once the negotiations have started, they would incorporate the step requested by Bulgaria. In other words, it is precisely because of Sofia’s wayward approach that the situation of North Macedonia’s ethnic minorities needs to be resolved at a constitutional level. A vicious circle has thus developed between the two countries, in which one of the parties must sooner or later give in. The demands of the neighboring country are unacceptable to the opposition VMRO-DPMNE alliance.

Paris has now submitted a proposal to the Bulgarian parliament. In it, they call on Sofia to lift its veto and approve a decision to start the accession of North Macedonia at the EU summit on 23 June. According to President Emmanuel Macron, this could happen after the protection of the rights of ethnic Bulgarians is enshrined in the Constitution of North Macedonia.

Under the French proposal, Skopje will have to adopt an action plan that includes addressing the situation of minorities, eliminating discrimination and hate speech, and making improvements in education, Euronews reports.

EU keeps making promises

North Macedonia applied for EU membership on 22 March 2004. The European Commission gave a favourable opinion on 9 November 2005 and the country was granted candidate status by the European Council in December 2005. In 2020, a decade and a half later in Brussels, the member states’ European Affairs Ministers gave their political approval for North Macedonia to start accession talk,s along with Albania. However, this has not happened since, due to vetoes from some member states. First the Greeks and now the Bulgarians are blocking the process, so this would not be the first major concession by North Macedonia to resolve the situation. Some experts warn, however, that even if the new demands were accepted, that would be no guarantee for rapid integration. The country had even agreed to change its name to end its dispute with Greece, but no progress was made.

Demonstrations for a free Macedonia

It is precisely because of these events that the recent demonstration in Skopje was held under the the motto of “It’s been too much already.” Over the weekend, people gathered outside the government building in the North Macedonian capital, with opposition protesters calling for early parliamentary elections. The opposition has announced that it will work with the people and do its utmost to call the elections in the country.

The leader of the VMRO DPMNE told the demonstration, attended by hundreds of thousands, that the people had come together to restore freedom to Macedonia and that the people had moved because they wanted to fight for their country.

According to the right-wing party, the current situation in Macedonia could be described as sickening and sad, because the leftist government has created such a situation with its decisions. Mr Mickoski underlined that their big goal was to overthrow the ruling SDSM party and punish the current criminal and treacherous government for its wrong policies.

„For too long, we have watched idly as our Macedonia has been demolished. They do that stone by stone. In our Macedonia, people have moved. There is a desire for change, and it has reached such proportions that residents feel they have nothing to lose,”

he said.

Hristijan Mickoski’s speech had to be interrupted several times because the crowd started chanting „Hristijan, Hristijan” and „Election, election.” The huge crowd carried the country’s flag shouting: Never North, only Macedonia and VMRO DPMNE.

„Macedonia has sunk into poverty and misery, with high prices for basic foodstuffs, the most expensive fuel in the region, expensive electricity, low salaries, high inflation, a failing health system, and disastrous education. The economy has collapsed. Bulgaria is humiliating us, a large part of our citizens are emigrating, crime, corruption, private tenders are just some of the things that citizens are facing under the rule of SDSM and DUI,”

the VMRO-DPMNE leader said.

At the demonstration, Mr Mickoski announced that they would fight with all their might against the SDSM and DUI-led cabinet headed by Dimitar Kovachevski.

„I am here to fight. Either we fight and win, or our Macedonia will be finished. We will fight in parliament, in the demonstrations, in the streets, in the cities, with our mayors, in the institutions. We will also fight crime and corruption,”

Mr Mickoski underlined.

This is not the first time the main opposition party has called on the government to call early parliamentary elections. In addition, its members have been conducting an „active blockade” of the North Macedonian Parliament for some time.