Balgarianovinite.com Dear Members of the European Parliament,We hereby express our serious concern and categorical disagreement with the public statementof the Rapporteur for the Republic of North Macedonia in the European Parliament, ThomasWaitz, made on 29 April in an interview for the North Macedonian television Kanal 5 andsubsequently widely disseminated in the media, that “clarity is needed as to what the EuropeanUnion expects the country to fulfil.”Such conduct grossly distorts the objective reality of the negotiation process and constitutes adeliberate and misleading political insinuation, which directly serves the domestic politicalnarratives of the authorities in Skopje, while simultaneously concealing the lack of real progresson undertaken commitments – a fact that Mr Waitz himself clearly and unequivocallyacknowledged in public statements only weeks ago.With deep concern, we draw attention to the following:1. The conditions for North Macedonia are clear, formalised and publicly knownThe European Union has precisely formulated the requirements for the Republic of NorthMacedonia through:
– the negotiating framework approved by the Council of the EU;- the conclusions of the European Council;- the commitments arising from the so-called “French proposal” of 2022;- specific criteria related to the rule of law, the protection of human rights and the principleof non-discrimination.Moreover, EU institutions systematically specify these requirements through clearly definedreform priorities, progress indicators and time-bound measures, including those upon whichaccess to European funding directly depends.Under these circumstances, the claim of a “lack of clarity” regarding the expectations of theEuropean Union is objectively untrue and factually unfounded.2. Substitution of substance: from non-implementation to “unclear requirements”It is publicly known that Thomas Waitz himself has repeatedly stated that key reforms are notbeing implemented in the Republic of North Macedonia, including in the areas of the rule of lawand judicial independence.Against this background, the suggestion that the problem lies in “unclear expectations” on thepart of the European Union represents a substantial distortion of facts, whereby:- the real issue – the lack of political will to implement undertaken commitments – isignored;- public discourse is deliberately redirected towards attributing responsibility to theEuropean Union.This type of rhetoric fully coincides with the official positions of the authorities in Skopje andeffectively legitimises a narrative that diverts attention from the non-fulfilment of key accessioncriteria.This stands in direct contradiction to the fundamental principle of conditionality in the EUenlargement policy, as well as to the so-called merit-based approach (an approach based onachieved progress), according to which each candidate country advances solely on the basis ofthe fulfilment of clearly defined criteria and undertaken commitments.3. Undermining trust in the enlargement processSuch statements have significant negative consequences, as they:- erode trust in the objectivity and impartiality of the rapporteur;- create a false narrative that accession conditions are unclear or arbitrarily defined;- discourage genuine reform efforts by shifting responsibility for lack of progress onto theEuropean Union;- create conditions for the rise of Euroscepticism by suggesting an inability of the EU toconsistently enforce its own criteria.Instead of serving as an instrument of objective assessment and accountability, the position ofthe rapporteur risks becoming a political shield for non-implementation of undertakencommitments, thereby indirectly encouraging destabilising tendencies in the region.4. A particularly problematic context – the so-called “bilateral issues”The statement in question fits into a broader line, again in line with narratives promoted bySkopje, according to which so-called “bilateral issues” should be excluded from the process ofEuropean integration.It must be clearly emphasised that the Republic of North Macedonia has accepted and ratified thenegotiating framework, and therefore the failure to fulfil the obligations arising from it does notconstitute a bilateral dispute, but an issue in the country’s relations with the European Union as awhole, i.e. with all its 27 Member States.In this sense, the statement of Thomas Waitz directly contradicts the content of the negotiatingframework itself, which explicitly includes:- the obligation for good-faith implementation of bilateral agreements and their protocols;- the guarantee of universal human rights, including the rights of the Bulgarian communityin the Republic of North Macedonia, under conditions of equality with otherconstitutionally recognised communities;- effective measures for the prevention and elimination of hate speech.In this context, it should be noted that attempts to portray the Negotiating Framework as beingcontrary to European Union law are legally unfounded, as it constitutes a political act adopted byconsensus among the Member States within the enlargement process, rather than a source ofprimary EU law.ConclusionIn light of the above, we state that the claim by Thomas Waitz that “it is not clear what theEuropean Union expects from the Republic of North Macedonia” is not merely an inaccuracy.It constitutes a politically driven narrative that:- conceals the non-fulfilment of undertaken commitments;- serves domestic political interests in Skopje;- undermines the principle of conditionality upon which the EU enlargement policy isbuilt;- creates conditions for the rise of Euroscepticism and encourages destabilising tendenciesin the region.CallIn view of the above, we call upon the Members of the European Parliament:- to consistently uphold the universal character of human rights and the principle of non-discrimination, including with regard to citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia whofreely declare and uphold their Bulgarian identity;- to adhere strictly to the facts and the official documents of the European Union;- to defend the principle of objective and evidence-based assessment of progress;- to prevent the politicisation of the process through misleading or selective interpretations.European integration is a process based on clear, predefined criteria and on the principle ofconditionality, not on political insinuations or opportunistic interpretations.Respectfully, CO-CHAIRS: Prof. DSc. Spas Tashev, Prof. DSc. Trendafil Mitev, Iliya StoyanovskiSECRETARY: Dimitar M. Dimitrov Public Statements Undermining the Clarity of the Conditions for the Accession of the Republic of North Macedonia to the EU 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-05-04 07:54:55 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law