Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

President Radev: North Macedonia's EU accession should be conditional on fulfilling the membership criteria, not on lobbying

Photo: BGNES

In a letter to European leaders and institutions, President Rumen Radev calls for the accession of the Republic of North Macedonia to the EU to be linked to the fulfillment of the membership criteria, not to lobbying. 

According to Radev, EU member states can support the integration processes of the Republic of North Macedonia by urging Skopje to focus on respecting human rights and the principles of good neighbourliness. 

"Instead of addressing these requirements, Skopje is again relying on active lobbying to cover up its lack of political will to meet the membership criteria. Attacks and hate speech against Bulgaria are escalating, "blacklists" are being introduced to ban Bulgarian citizens from entering the country, cases of physical violence, administrative and judicial harassment of people with a Bulgarian identity and constant threats to their jobs simply because they are Bulgarian are increasing. This atmosphere seriously hampers the development of trade, economic and cultural ties between the two countries," the President further wrote.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Sunshine, temperatures will rise to above 30 Celsius on Thursday

On Thursday the weather in Bulgaria will be sunny, in the afternoon over the mountainous areas with insignificant cumulus clouds. There will be a weak, in the eastern regions to moderate wind from the south-southeast.  Temperatures will rise and..

published on 8/20/25 7:35 PM

Bulgaria is represented in an art project at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport

Magura Cultural Center is participating in the art project ''Irenwe Wa: she speaks the regular way'', created as part of the Terminal 5 expansion at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. ''This installation highlights the voices of immigrant..

published on 8/20/25 6:09 PM

Rosen Zhelyazkov and Yulia Svyrydenko discuss Ukraine's EU integration

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov held a video conference with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. During the meeting, Rosen Zhelyazkov reaffirmed Bulgaria’s unwavering support for Ukraine in the context of the war. He recalled that..

published on 8/20/25 5:44 PM