English
Bulgaria could face rebukes from European Union member states if it attempts to use the Second Protocol between Skopje and Sofia—signed in July 2022—as a condition for the country to continue its European integration path, given that this document is not part of the EU Negotiating Framework.
This was stated by the Austrian Ambassador to Macedonia, Martin Pamer, in an interview with TV 24. He is the first to clearly point out this specific issue, which has recently become a stumbling block in relations between Skopje and Sofia, resulting in a standstill in Macedonia’s European integration process.
Pamer explicitly states that the Second Protocol is not part of the Negotiating Framework—a point that has already been communicated by Brussels. In this regard, the Ambassador notes that should Bulgaria attempt to exert pressure or leverage the Protocol within the context of the enlargement process, other member states will inform Sofia that it is not part of the accession process.
As far as I know—and I am quite certain this is correct—the Second Protocol is not part of the Negotiating Framework. I believe this is perfectly clear; if you listen carefully to the EU member states, the European Commission, and the discussions, you will see that no one—with the exception of Bulgaria at a certain point—has ever claimed that the Second Protocol is part of the accession process. In this regard, I assume that if your neighboring country (Bulgaria – Ed.) were to attempt to exert pressure or leverage this within the context of the enlargement process, most other member states would likely point out that the Second Protocol is not part of the negotiating process, the Austrian Ambassador stated. “Incidentally, this is a process that is necessary in any case,” he added.
Macedonia fears that Bulgaria will use the obligations assumed by the Zaev regime under his agreement with Bulgaria to demand rewriting of Macedonian history and spreading of the Bulgarian historic narrative in Macedonian schools.