Brussels, 23 June 2022 (MIA) – After rejecting the French proposal on the EU negotiating framework on Thursday, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said he hoped that the Union would be more understanding in the future, MIA reports from Brussels. Asked by MIA on the atmosphere at today’s EU-Western Balkans meeting, PM Kovachevski said neighboring countries were most understanding. “The closer the countries, the more they understand the environment of certain discussions and have in-depth knowledge on the subject matter. The discussion was constructive, with the possibility of, let’s say, more understanding in the future and that the enlargement process will be purely merit-based, whereas bilateral issues will not be subject to multilateral integration,” said Kovachevski. The French proposal on the EU-North Macedonia negotiating framework almost fully incorporates all key demands by Bulgaria, to which the Government responded with a set of red lines that must be respected in any future draft-negotiating framework. “Our positions are stated in the Parliament Declaration unanimously supported by MPs and political parties. These are North Macedonia’s positions,” said Kovachevski.