The PES group of socialists in the European Parliament called on Bulgaria to lift its veto against Macedonia’s EU accession talks. 

Bulgaria’s Boyko Borissov must stop his disgraceful blockage of enlargement process just to save his coalition with hard-line nationalists. Accession negotiations with (North) Macedonia should be started before the end of the year, the group tweeted out after Bulgaria officially vetoed Macedonia’s accession talks.

Some in Macedonia are hoping that the March elections in Bulgaria will deliver a socialist led Government that will be more open to allow the accession talks to begin. But the Bulgarian Socialist Party, including President Radev who comes from the same party, support the hard line position toward Macedonia. It’s unclear to what extent the Bulgarian socialist MEPs support the position of their party group.