Acting on a proposal from a nationalist coalition partner, the Bulgarian Parliament renamed the day of Slavic literacy (May 24) into the day of Bulgarian literacy. The day honors the beginning of the proselytizing mission of Ss. Cyril and Methodius to Moravia.

Macedonia and Bulgaria both celebrate the two saints who spread Christianity among the Slavic nations in Macedonia and later across much of eastern Europe, laying the foundation for the Cyrillic alphabet and the great school in Ohrid. Bulgaria wants these celebrations, the main of which takes place in Rome where St. Cyril is buried, to be shared events to emphasize the joint heritage of Macedonia and Bulgaria. But renaming the holiday will be difficult for Macedonian authorities to accept.

Bulgaria currently demands additional concessions in the areas of history and national identity from Macedonia before it will allow the opening of EU accession talks. Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva said that the ethnic heritage of legendary VMRO leader Goce Delcev is just “one of the many issues that need to be resolved”.

We insist on good neighborly relations, which is one of the criteria for EU membership, not something Bulgaria came up with, but a European condition, Zaharieva said.

She blamed Macedonia for suspending the work of a joint committee of historians which Bulgaria expects to ratify various changes to the Macedonian reading of history and make it in tune with the Bulgarian reading. She insisted that Bulgaria has many written historic documents to support its positions.