Tens of thousands of demonstrators in North Macedonia protest France’s proposal on solving heritage disputes with Bulgaria to clear the path on EU accession as opposition says Elysee’s bid harms Macedonian identity
A woman holds a banner reading"No to the French proposal" in Macedonian, during a protest in front of the government building in Skopje, North Macedonia, on Saturday, July 2, 2022.
North Macedonia’s government has said the proposal is a “solid base.” But the main opposition center-right VMRO-DPMNE party rejects the proposition, arguing it favors Bulgarian demands that dispute Macedonian history, language, identity, culture and inheritance. "If Europe is not ready to accept us civilised Macedonians where we belong, then we will wait until there are people who will understand that Macedonia and Macedonian identity is above and before all,” he added.
North Macedonia has been a candidate for EU membership for 17 years. The country received a green light in 2020 to begin accession talks, but no date for the start of the negotiations has been set.