Balgarianovinite.com All 17 Bulgarian MEPs on Wednesday issued a joint declaration strongly condemning the June 15 arson attack attack on two diplomatic vehicles outside the Bulgarian Embassy in Skopje, describing it as an act of aggression that endangered the security of the diplomatic mission.
The declaration was signed by Andrey Kovatchev, Andrey Novakov, Elena Yoncheva, Emil Radev, Eva Maydell, Hristo Petrov, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Ilia Lazarov, Ivaylo Valchev, Kristian Vigenin, Nikola Minchev, Petar Volgin, Rada Laykova, Radan Kanev, Stanislav Stoyanov, Taner Kabilov and Tsvetelina Penkova.
The MEPs said the attack was part of a broader problem related to hostility and hate speech against Bulgarians and Bulgarian institutions in North Macedonia. They called on the authorities in North Macedonia to take immediate action to identify the perpetrators and any possible instigators, stressing that the case should not be treated as an isolated criminal incident.
The declaration says the attack was a deliberate act of aggression, motivated by hatred, which endangered the lives and security of the staff of an embassy of a European Union Member State and their families. According to the MEPs, it was not merely a criminal act but an unacceptable assault on a diplomatic mission protected under international law and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. They said the case raised questions about the ability of the authorities in North Macedonia to guarantee the security of foreign diplomatic missions in line with their international obligations.
The MEPs said such actions did not arise out of nowhere but were a foreseeable consequence of prolonged incitement, tolerated hatred and a lack of accountability for discrimination against Bulgarians in the country. They described the attack as another manifestation of what they called a deeply worrying pattern of hostility, fuelled by persistent anti-Bulgarian rhetoric and the systematic normalization of hate speech against Bulgarians and Bulgaria in the media and public discourse, including by representatives of the authorities in North Macedonia.
The declaration says the lack of an adequate institutional response to previous similar high-profile cases has created a sense of impunity among perpetrators. The MEPs cited the cases of Iva Mihaylova, who said she had been prevented from travelling to Bulgaria for urgently needed medical treatment despite repeated requests and medical recommendations; Hristian Pendikov, who was nearly beaten to death for openly expressing his Bulgarian identity; and Dragi Karov and Ljupcho Georgievski, who received suspended sentences in connection with publicly expressed views related to their Bulgarian identity. The MEPs said the cases had drawn significant public attention and raised broader concerns about equal treatment, freedom of expression and the protection of fundamental rights.
Taken together with attacks against Bulgarian cultural organizations and diplomatic property, these cases contribute to a growing perception that hostility towards Bulgarians is not being met with the consistency and determination required of a democratic society based on the rule of law, the declaration says. The MEPs also noted that none of these cases had been reflected in reports on North Macedonia during the current parliamentary term.
They also recalled the arson attack on the Bulgarian Cultural Club in Bitola, saying that the perpetrator had not received proportionate punishment and was later publicly celebrated and included in the election campaign of the current ruling party. The MEPs added that the perpetrators of the shooting at the Bulgarian Cultural Club in Ohrid had not been identified and brought to justice. In March 2023, the Bulgarian Cultural Centre, which forms part of the embassy, was broken into, and in January 2026, the main building of the Bulgarian Embassy in Skopje was attacked with stones, damaging the entrance to the diplomatic mission, the declaration says.
The MEPs called on the authorities in North Macedonia to take immediate, transparent and effective action to bring both the perpetrators and any possible instigators to justice. They said the speed and decisiveness of the response would be a clear test of North Macedonia’s commitment to the rule of law, good-neighbourly relations and European values.
European integration is not only a political objective but also a responsibility, the MEPs said. A country aspiring to EU membership must unconditionally guarantee the security of diplomatic missions, counter hate speech and demonstrate respect for its neighbours not only in words but also through actions, they added.
The MEPs welcomed the detention of a suspect by the authorities in North Macedonia and Foreign Minister Timco Mucunski’s condemnation of the act. At the same time, they called on North Macedonia’s Parliament, President and Prime Minister to unequivocally condemn what they described as an act of hatred.
The signatories said North Macedonia’s response would show whether such actions would be met with accountability or whether the climate of impunity encouraging repeated attacks against Bulgarians, Bulgarian institutions and Bulgarian diplomatic missions would be allowed to continue. Bulgarian MEPs Condemn Arson Attack on Embassy Vehicles in Skopje 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-06-17 15:13:05 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