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FRAMEWORK POSITION ON EU ENLARGEMENT AND THE STABILIZATION AND ASSOCIATION PROCESS: THE REPUBLIC OF NORTHERN MACEDONIA AND ALBANIA
10/09/2019
POSITION ON EU ENLARGEMENT AND THE STABILIZATION AND ASSOCIATION PROCESS: THE REPUBLIC OF NORTHERN MACEDONIA AND ALBANIA
TEXT OF THE FRAMEWORK POSITION
Bulgaria is consistent in its support for the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries, as the accession process is a key driver for reform and stability in the region. Bulgaria welcomes and supports the European Commission's recommendation to start pre-accession negotiations with both the Republic of Northern Macedonia and Albania.
At the same time, Bulgaria should not allow the integration of the Republic of Northern Macedonia into the EU to be accompanied by European legitimacy of a state-sponsored ideology on an anti-Bulgarian basis. The rewriting of the history of a part of the Bulgarian people after 1944 is among the pillars of the anti-Bulgarian ideological construction of Yugoslav totalitarianism.
The start of negotiations should not be interpreted as a guarantee of membership, but as a positive driving force for accelerating reforms, strengthening the rule of law and maintaining good neighborly relations. Progress towards EU membership depends on individual efforts to meet the Copenhagen criteria and the conditionality of the Stabilization and Association Process, including good neighborly relations. Good neighborly relations are of horizontal importance and should be assessed at every stage in the accession process of the candidate countries.
I. The Republic of Northern Macedonia
The accession of the Republic of Northern Macedonia to the EU is an important step in ensuring peace, stable and sustainable development and the prosperity of the region. Bulgaria was the first to recognize the country's independence and has always supported in principle and consistently its European and Euro-Atlantic perspective. Bulgaria's consistent support for the European perspective of the Republic of Northern Macedonia was also reflected in the Joint Declaration of 22 February 1999, in the Memorandum of Cooperation in the Field of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and in the 2017 Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation. , which for us is a solid legal basis for good neighborly relations and cooperation, in accordance with the highest European standards. The Treaty was expected to solve the problems layered for decades and to give impetus and a new perspective in the development of bilateral relations. The signing and implementation of this Agreement was the condition for Bulgaria's support for the membership of the Republic of Northern Macedonia in NATO and the EU. In this context, the strict and full implementation of the letter and spirit of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation with the Republic of Northern Macedonia in a way to ensure its irreversibility is crucial and remains a precondition for progress in the country's EU accession process. .
The Bulgarian position on the importance of maintaining good neighborly relations with Bulgaria and the implementation of the Treaty is invariably advocated at all levels and formats. This has led to its reflection in a number of EU documents. In this regard, maintaining its consistency, Bulgaria will insist in the text of the conclusions of the General Affairs Council on October 15, 2019 to reflect unequivocally that the implementation of the Neighborhood Agreement will be part of the conditionality applicable in the membership negotiations.
Bulgaria will also present a national declaration, in an annex to the Council conclusions, which will build on the current Framework Position.
In the course of the negotiations on these conclusions, there should be a tendency to set conditions for convening the first Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) with the Republic of Northern Macedonia. Bulgaria's agreement to hold the first IGC will be linked to real progress in implementing the letter and spirit of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation, including with regard to the activities of the Joint Expert Commission on Historical and Educational Issues. Real progress means:
In general
- The Republic of Northern Macedonia should suspend and refrain from pursuing a policy, in whatever form, of supporting and encouraging claims for recognition of the so-called "Macedonian minority" in Bulgaria. The Republic of Northern Macedonia to unreservedly and urgently bring its positions and actions in international organizations and fora into line with Article 11 of the Neighborhood Treaty, clearly declaring that there are no historical and demographic grounds for seeking minority status for any group of citizens of the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria. The multilateral formats and monitoring mechanisms of the Council of Europe should not be instrumentalized by the Republic of Northern Macedonia in putting pressure on Bulgaria on issues related to the rights of persons belonging to minorities.
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