There is no rational explanation for the Bulgarian veto on the opening of accession talks with North Macedonia. The hopes of North Macedonia that the EU might force Bulgaria to lift the veto are misplaced: France favors a deepening of the bloc over its enlargement, while extreme-right parties are skeptical about admitting countries with substantial Muslim populations — like North Macedonia. Some 120,000 citizens of North Macedonia have been granted Bulgarian citizenship — 12 times more than the Vlachs, who enjoy minority status under the North Macedonian constitution. Inscribing the Bulgarian minority into the North Macedonia constitution before the "and others" may seem easy, but it would require a two-thirds parliamentary majority. Recognizing a Bulgarian minority in North Macedonia would imply that the remaining majority is not Bulgarian, thus putting paid to one nationalist dream.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 08, 2022 03:29 UTC