Bulgaria is conditioning the opening of EU accession talks with a demand that Macedonia allows Bulgarian businesses to enter the media market, construction and banking, Alfa TV reports.

Bulgaria officially raised the issue in the past months, and it was widely reported that the Ilovica copper mine is one the list, as is Telma TV.

According to Alfa TV, Bulgaria wants to have the business deal made part of the action plan which it is negotiating with the Zaev regime. Bulgarian officials are not happy with the slow pace of concessions given by Macedonia in the areas of history and national identity, and it demands a new agreement – at the moment devised as an “action plan” to implement the 2017 Zaev – Borisov trety.