Violent protests erupted in North Macedonia’s capital, Skopje, where demonstrators tried to storm government buildings, after French President Emmanuel Macron announced the proposal — which many in the small Balkan country find controversial — last week. Macron said at a NATO summit in Madrid that “a compromise solution” to lift Bulgaria’s opposition to its neighbor’s EU aspirations had been achieved, without giving details.
UPDATED: 06 JUL 2022
A man reacts as police officers form a cordon during a protest at the parliament building in Skopje, North Macedonia.
People throw stones at the parliament building in Skopje, North Macedonia.
People throw stones at the police during a protest at the parliament building in Skopje, North Macedonia.
Police confront protesters at the parliament building in Skopje, North Macedonia.
Protest in Skopje against deal with Bulgaria turns violent
A video posted by parliament speaker Talat Xhaferi shows windows smashed in the violent protest on July 5. / Talat Xhaferi
By Valentina Dimitrievska in Skopje
A protest in North Macedonia’s capital Skopje against the French proposal that would lift Bulgarian veto on the start of the country’s EU accession talks turned violent in the evening July 5, leaving dozens of police officers injured.
The violent protest was the last in a series of demonstrations against the proposal drafted by the French presidency of the EU. It is intended to unblock North Macedonia’s stalled EU accession process, but opposition parties and most of the public consider it is harmful for the Macedonian national interest.
47 police officers were injured, 11 of them seriously, while two officers with serious injuries were hospitalised at the Neurosurgery Clinic. 11 protestors were detained, two of whom were minors, the police said on July 6.
“The consequences of last night's rampage in front of the Assembly!” parliament speaker Talat Xhaferi said on July 6 in a Facebook post, where he posted a video clip showing broken windows, tiles and bottles on the floor of the parliament following the previous night’s protest.
“I recognise and support everyone's right to protest and express his opinion. But I constantly and strongly condemn hooliganism, violence, incitement of hatred, because these are not a solution,” Xhaferi commented.
There was also damage to the buildings of the government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where the protests were also held.
The Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski announced the harshest punishments for the organisers as well as students who participated in the violent protests against the French proposal.
“Last night we witnessed a dark event, which turned from a public gathering organised by the opposition parties into vandalism. Members of police were brutally attacked while on duty,” Spasovski said in the statement.
Spasovski added that during the evening protest, a significant damage was done, with damage to paving stones and road signs and benches torn out of the ground. Some protestors threw stones, eggs, Molotov cocktails, rubbish bins and fireworks at official buildings and the police officers who secured the state institutions.
Following the violent protests the police managed to disperse the protestors.
The French proposal has been sent to the parliament for consideration. The first discussions on the proposal are expected on July 6.
EU urges N Macedonia to back proposed deal with Bulgaria
Posted Jul 5, 2022,
SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — European Council President Charles Michel urged North Macedonia on Tuesday to back a French-proposed compromise on ending a dispute with neighboring Bulgaria that’s blocking the country’s long-delayed European Union accession bid.
Violent protests erupted in North Macedonia’s capital, Skopje, where demonstrators tried to storm government buildings, after French President Emmanuel Macron announced the proposal — which many in the small Balkan country find controversial — last week. Macron said at a NATO summit in Madrid that “a compromise solution” to lift Bulgaria’s opposition to its neighbor’s EU aspirations had been achieved, without giving details.
A new protest against the French proposal is planned for later Tuesday in Skopje.
North Macedonia’s president, Stevo Pendarovski, and the government have backed the proposed deal, which calls for the country to acknowledge in its constitution the existence of an ethnic Bulgarian minority. It would also provide for regular reviews on how the bilateral dispute is being addressed, which could potentially hamper North Macedonia’s future accession course.
But the center-right main opposition VMRO-DPMNE party, many international law experts and civic organizations say the proposal favors Bulgarian demands which dispute their own country’s views of regional history, language, identity and heritage.
As an EU member, Bulgaria has the power to block its neighbor’s accession bid.
At a joint news conference Tuesday with North Macedonia’s prime minister, Dimitar Kovachevski, Michel stressed that the French proposal is too “important an opportunity to be missed.”
Michel said that if North Macedonia accepts the proposal, then the path for the country to start EU accession talks could open within days.
Kovachevski reiterated his support for the “balanced proposal,” adding that “our aim is to start membership talks.”
On a third day of mass protests late Monday in Skopje, protestors threw stones, eggs and bottles at the government offices and parliament building in downtown Skopje. Police prevented the crowd of several thousand people from forcing their way into government offices. Four police were injured in front of parliament.
Bulgaria has already formally accepted the French proposal, which now requires the backing of North Macedonia’s parliament.
Bulgaria insists that North Macedonia formally recognizes that its language has Bulgarian roots, acknowledges a Bulgarian minority and quashes “hate speech” against Bulgaria.
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.
Before Bulgaria raised its objections, North Macedonia settled a decades-old dispute with another neighbor and EU member, Greece, to forward its aim of joining the 27-nation bloc. As a result it added the word North to its previous name, Macedonia, which Greece had complained implied claims on its own territory, history and cultural heritage.
The dispute with Bulgaria has also stalled the progress of another Balkan country, Albania, toward EU membership because the bloc is treating the pair as a political package. North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Albania are all NATO members.
The Associated Press
North Macedonia protests against deal with Bulgaria enter third day
By Valentina Dimitrievska in Skopje
Protests in North Macedonia’s capital continued on July 4 for the third day in a row against the French proposal for solving the dispute with Bulgaria, which is expected to lift its veto on the start of EU accession talks with Skopje.
For most people in the country the French proposal is unacceptable because it incorporates the Bulgarian demands, which are seen as harmful for the Macedonian national interests.
The first day of protest under the motto "Ultimatum - No thanks" was held on July 2. The opposition in North Macedonia claims that the proposal is against the country’s national interest and takes into account only Bulgarian demands. Some smaller parties from the government coalition also said they would not support the proposal in the parliament if amendments are not made.
Some of the demonstrators clashed with the police, who set up a cordon in front of the government building, after they broke through the protective fence and started throwing eggs, stones and firecrackers at the building.
The protest started in a tense atmosphere, after the leader of the opposition VMRO-DPMNE, Hristijan Mickoski, called on citizens to gather in great numbers because, as he said, the government intends to accept the proposal of the French presidency on July 5. Then it will be voted on in the parliament.
Later, most of the demonstrators headed towards the parliament. Some of them tore down the protective fence in front of the assembly building. Protestors were singing patriotic songs, demanding the resignation of the government and a complete rejection of Bulgaria's demands.
The series of protests came after North Macedonia’s authorities said on July 1 that what they said was a modified French proposal is acceptable as it protects the Macedonian language and keeps historical issues out of the EU negotiation framework. But the opposition accused the government of lying.
According to the opposition and some experts the proposal only means Bulgarisation of the nation in a long-term EU accession process, and denies the existence of Macedonian identity.
“The consultation phase is still ongoing. We are working intensively on consultation about this proposal in order to make an appropriate decision in the coming days,” Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Bojan Maricic said on July 4.
“We did not commit ourselves to specific deadlines... but we have been waiting for 17 years. And in a situation where we have a proposal that pays attention to all our remarks, I think it is a package that is worth considering seriously," said Maricic.
The President of the European Council Charles Michel is visiting Skopje on July 5 to convince the country to accept the French proposal and open EU accession talks following a two-year delay due to Bulgaria's veto.
Bulgaria’s parliament on June 24 approved a French proposal that would lift the country's veto on the start of North Macedonia’s EU membership talks.
According to the text adopted by the parliament, Bulgaria’s government can lift the veto if four conditions are met. The text of the French proposal should be refined so that it guarantees inclusion of the Bulgarians living in North Macedonia in the constitution on an equal basis with the rest of peoples in those sections of the constitution where these peoples are mentioned.
Sofia also wants a clarification of the texts that would guarantee that nothing in the process of North Macedonia’s EU accession can be considered an admission of the existence of the Macedonian language by Bulgaria.
Bulgaria will also seek guarantees that the good relations between the two neighbours will remain part of the criteria that North Macedonia should fulfil to be accepted in the EU.
Sofia also wants a friendship treaty signed in 2017 to be referenced in the documents on the start of North Macedonia’s EU accession talks.
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