English
The European Parliament today voted 461 in favor, 121 opposed and 107 abstained to adopt the progress report on Macedonai. In its most controversial move, the Parliament deleted all mentions of the Macedonian identity and the Macedonian language from the draft report. This was done under strong pressure from the Bulgarian members of the European Parliament, who had the three main centrist party groups to agree to delete the references to Macedonia.
Macedonia was previously asking for some form of guarantees that its EU accession process – if it begins after the possible inclusion of the Bulgarian minority in the Macedonian Constitution – will not be blocked at every step by additional Bulgarian demands. The events in the Parliament indicate that Bulgaria will not stop at just securing constitutional status for its minority, but will continue to press for dilution of the Macedonian national identity. The debate included a virtual competition between Bulgarian and Greek nationalist representatives who will hurl more insults toward Macedonia, while rapporteur Thomas Waitz was pleading that the EU allows Macedonia to open its accession talks, and Slovenian – Macedonian representative Irena Joveva was rebuking the Bulgarians.
Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski strongly denounced the outcome in the European Parliament.
As a nation and as a country we had the misfortune to suffer injustices. But at least now it is clear to everyone in Europe and in the entire world that the essence of the problem is not the inclusion of the Bulgarians in our Constitution but something much deeper, much larger. That is the Macedonian identity and the Macedonian language, the Prime Minister said.
Prime Minister Mickoski also condemned the actions of the SDSM and DUI parties, which, while in power, made major concessions toward Bulgaria and agreed to the process where its nationalist demands are made part of Macedonia’s accession process.
They accepted the latest proposal, and they lied the Macedonian citizens and the Macedonian people, saying that it secures the Macedonian identity and the Macedonian language, and that all we need to do is a small intervention in the Constitution, and suddenly milk and honey will begin to flow down our streets. That was their biggest lie and it closes the European doors for the Macedonian people and the Macedonian citizens for the foreseeable time. This is the essence of what the did. In a few months, in the elections, the citizens will tell SDSM that from a sometimes state worthy party they are now becoming a marginal movement, Mickoski aid.
