Balgarianovinite.com France is offering expert and institutional support for the necessary reforms in North Macedonia, but the opening of negotiation chapters with the EU is contingent on constitutional changes, said French Ambassador in Skopje Christophe Le Rigoleur in an interview with Radio Free Europe on Sunday.
When asked whether he sees political will between the governments of North Macedonia and Bulgaria for dialogue and truly overcoming the obstacles posed, he replied that it is important not to confuse the topics of Sofia-Skopje dialogue with the North Macedonia-EU negotiating framework, adopted in 2022, which provides for constitutional amendments.
The French Ambassador reiterated that the negotiating framework will not change because it is a fact, it has been accepted by all, and the process of North Macedonia’s EU integration must take place within this framework. That process involves the adoption of the constitutional framework, he added. In his words, that is the first item; the second one is the dialogue between North Macedonia and Bulgaria. In his words, the idea is not to start a bilateral dialogue to renegotiate the 2022 compromise or anything else; these are two different things. He explained that the negotiating framework is a European document, not a bilateral one.
In his words, France believes – and he thinks that applies to most of its European partners, too – that in the current context, it would be important to see an improvement in bilateral relations between Skopje and Sofia, because the last months and years have seen missed opportunities, and restoring trust in important.
According to him, the signing of the agreement on the construction of a cross-border tunnel for the section of Transport Corridor VII beyond North Macedonia’s Kriva Palanka is a good example of what can be done in concrete terms in the area of cooperation between the two countries.
In his words, “in recent years or in recent months” there have been occasions for meetings where what unites the two countries is discussed more than what divides them, noting that there are certain issues that strain bilateral relations and, in a way, often seem to undermine the momentum that is beginning to take hold. In his view, this is something to watch out for, noting that authorities on both sides try to calm things down when incidents occur or certain statements are made, but the issue is never that simple and does not encourage the restoration of relations on a daily basis.
France notices that incidents are occurring. For example, someone walking past the Bulgarian Embassy and breaking a window, and other minor incidents that are inconvenient and do not make daily lives easier, the French Ambassador noted.
According to him, the negotiating framework for North Macedonia provides the predictability that the authorities in Skopje speak of, as it establishes or defines what the stages to be completed will be, and the first of these stages is amending the Constitution. French Ambassador in Skopje: North Macedonia-EU Negotiating Framework and Skopje-Sofia Dialogue Are Two Separate Topics 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-03-30 13:39:47 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
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