The European Commission is set to publish its new progress report on Macedonia, which will likely not help Macedonia’s prospects to open accession talks as the country faces the Bulgarian veto.

The report will be presented early afternoon in Strasbourg by Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi.

The European Council agreed to the opening of accession talks with Macedonia and Albania in March 2020, overcoming the short-lived French veto, but Bulgaria stepped up with a long list of demands that intrude on the Macedonian national identity, and then proceeded to veto the accession talks.