North Macedonia’s President Gordana Siljanovska believes that the main obstacle to her country’s progress toward European Union membership is the second protocol signed between Sofia and Skopje, arguing that bilateral issues have been incorporated into the EU negotiation framework.
In an interview with Channel 5 TV, Siljanovska said the European integration process should not be blocked by disputes between individual countries. According to her, the EU has the ability to create mechanisms that would prevent bilateral matters from becoming barriers to enlargement.
“You cannot say that you are for the de-lateralization of European integration and, on the other hand, tolerate bilateralization,” Siljanovska said. She argued that the negotiating framework itself is a flexible document that can be subject to interpretation and added that the constitutional amendments requested from North Macedonia stem from the second protocol rather than directly from the friendship treaty with Bulgaria.
The North Macedonian president said there are several possible ways for European institutions to assist her country’s integration process. She pointed to legal opinions and potential conclusions from the European Council as possible instruments for finding a solution.
