Today is the deadline for renaming of associations, whose names are considered offensive and represent a provocation that causes tensions between Macedonia and Bulgaria, otherwise, according to the legal amendments for associations and political parties from November 2022, they will be closed. The association from Ohrid “Tsar Boris III” has submitted a request to the Central Registry for a name change in accordance with the amendments to the Law on Associations and Foundations. The Cultural Center “Ivan Mihailov” from Bitola, on the other hand, the day before the deadline, has not yet submitted a request for changes.

Bulgarian clubs, according to the Law on Associations and Foundations, which was adopted after a shortened procedure in November 2022, are obliged to request re-registration or will be closed.

According to the existing legislation, if the two clubs do not change their name, the government commission should meet and adopt a position, which should then be submitted to the Ministry of Justice and based on that the minister should make a decision. If the decision is negative, the association should be deleted from the Central Register.