The Council of Ambassadors regarding the French proposal to unblock Macedonia’s accession to the EU, believes that EU membership has no alternatives and is not only of strategic importance for our country but also a security issue for the entire region.

They welcome the efforts of President Macron and Chancellor Scholz, as well as other EU and US leaders and diplomats, who actively support Macedonia’s integration into the EU.

In the absence of public announcement of the integral text of the French proposal, which caused reactions among the Macedonian public and numerous negative reactions that strengthen Euroscepticism and nationalism in the country, the Council of Ambassadors believes that the entire text should be obtained first, carefully analyzed, and then to take appropriate positions that will reflect the long-term national interests of the state and its citizens.

The Council of Ambassadors considers that the negotiating framework is a multilateral document, the purpose of which is to serve as a guide for thorough reform and accession of the candidate country to the European Union.

They express hope that the EU member states will adopt a framework that will reflect the multilateral character of the document, and Bulgaria will be at the level of a friendly country whose national interest is the neighboring country Macedonia to become a full-fledged member of the EU.

The Council believes that the establishment of the “Negotiating Framework” and the management of the mechanisms for its implementation should be realized by Brussels, and not by Sofia. In that way, as it says, the possibility for “frequent blockades” of the accession process will be reduced, which the citizens of our country are most afraid of.

The Council hopes and expects the EU to have a sufficient sense for a realistic assessment of the political situation in Macedonia and not to condition the start of negotiations with the adoption of constitutional changes, but to postpone such a process until political and social conditions allow.

The Council of Ambassadors reiterates that the current consensual decision-making process is blocking the Union’s decision-making process, and considers the recent statement by Chancellor Olaf Scholz that “the EU needs to modernize its decision-making structures and processes” to be a real step forward to its reform, reads the reaction.

They call on the Government to preserve the dignity of the citizens and to respect and persist on the red lines for preserving the identity and integrity of the Republic of Macedonia.