Support for EU membership in Macedonia dropped to a new low of 64 percent and 65 percent of the people refuse the latest Bulgarian demand – that the Bulgarian nation is included in the Preamble of the Constitution. Among ethnic Macedonians, who are most affected by the Bulgarian nationalist demands, 80 percent reject the request for constitutional amendments – Bulgaria says it will block Macedonia’s EU accession talks until this demand is met.

These results were revealed today by Marko Trosanovski from the Institute for Democracy Societas Civilis, who did a poll in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.

We’ve followed these processes for seven years an dwe can conclude that public support for joining the EU is at a record low. It has been at this level for the past three years where it is fluctuating statistically, Trosanovski said.

On the other hand the poll showed an increase in the perception of the EU as ally of Macedonia, which Trosanovski believes is the result of closing of ranks and seeking allies in light of the war in Ukraine.