In his latest attempt to sell the public on the universally detested “French proposal” that puts the Bulgarian demands at the center of Macedonia’s uncertain path toward the EU, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski today again turned to the promise that the concessions toward neighboring countries will allow for the return of Macedonians who have emigrated abroad.

In a statement that made many cringe – at least judging by the reactions on the social media – Kovacevski said that Macedonians who work as waiters in the Slovenian resort of Bled, where he was at a conference, asked him to accept the Bulgarian demands.

Walking along the Bled riviera I felt as if I was in Bosnia, since all the waiters are Bosnians, who work here seeking better wages. I saw several Macedonian students working in the cafes. They ask me to “please do all I can to bring the country in the EU. We want to come back home and work in an EU member stat at home”, Kovacevski insisted.

His SDSM party made a similar promise during the Colored Revolution – that Macedonia must accept the Greek demands in order for “our young people to come home”. Reports after SDSM grabbed power in 2017 show that the trend of emigration has not reversed, and is in fact intensifying.