Prime Minister Mickoski will present a proposal in Brussels on September 19 to unlock Macedonia’s EU integration process. He called for an end to the bilateralization of the European integration process, emphasizing that Brussels should show political will to address the challenges affecting Macedonia.

Mickoski stated that the issue does not lie in the willingness of Macedonian citizens or politicians to make constitutional changes, but in the European Union’s readiness to resolve these matters.

He also mentioned that the government’s plan is no longer a secret: it will involve constitutional changes with delayed implementation.

What is the delayed implementation?

Under the current negotiating framework, for Macedonia to begin EU accession talks, the inclusion of Bulgarians in the Constitution is required. The government is reluctant to do this without a clear plan and guarantees, stressing the need to address issues related to Macedonian identity and the rulings from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

“We have a proposal for the delayed implementation of constitutional amendments, where we will first complete the negotiations, and only then decide on further actions. The rulings from Strasbourg concerning the Macedonian community in Bulgaria must be part of these discussions. We want clear guarantees and solutions,” Mickoski said.

He explained that the proposal for delayed implementation is logical since negotiations should be completed first. Only then can issues such as Macedonian identity and language, and Strasbourg’s judgments regarding the Macedonian community in Bulgaria, be addressed.

“We will not engage in any process naively without a clear plan and guarantees. These guarantees must be backed by concrete achievements and a clear message,” Mickoski added.