The European Parliament’s report on North Macedonia’s bid to join the EU has been delayed until the end of June, after all 17 Bulgarian MEPs demanded a postponement. They accused the report’s author of bias and having improper links to Skopje.
In a joint letter, the Bulgarian MEPs claimed that Austrian Green MEP Thomas Waitz, who is drafting the report, was being influenced by the North Macedonian government and had ignored alleged violence against the country’s Bulgarian minority.
Waitz dismissed the accusations. “Bulgarian politicians are doing everything they can to knock down the report,” he said, “including smear campaigns and false claims of corruption and bias.”
Although the draft includes some Bulgarian concerns—such as the need to protect the Bulgarian minority in North Macedonia from hate speech and hate crimes—the Bulgarian MEPs say this doesn’t go far enough.
Their criticism of Waitz has intensified, with claims that he concealed meetings with North Macedonian officials, sided with Skopje in the talks, and left out key Bulgarian input. Waitz’s office admitted he was late declaring some meetings under the Parliament’s voluntary 30-day transparency rule, but said they would be disclosed before the talks are completed.
