The Opening of Accession Negotiations with North Macedonia – Glass Half Full or Half Empty?
The Opening of Accession Negotiations with North Macedonia – Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

Summary/Abstract: In July 2022, North Macedonia provisionally started the much-awaited accession talks for EU-membership. Specific conditions apply to its negotiating framework, for instance the in-clusion of the Bulgarian community in the national constitution and specific reporting re-quirements to the European Commission on bilateral relations, including historic topics. The political elites and the public in North Macedonia are divided as to whether these con-ditions compromise the likelihood of successful European integration. In addition to the political crisis that North Macedonia may face in the short and medium term in ensuring constitutional changes with a non-existent parliamentary majority, political instability in Bulgaria continues. The different interpretations of the level of incorporation of historical topics in the accession negotiations between the two countries and the European Commis-sion can have a detrimental effect on the overall EU enlargement process.

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