Debar, 27 July 2025 (MIA) - The erasure of the Macedonian language and identity from the European Parliament’s report on North Macedonia – under pressure from Bulgaria – is a shameful chapter in European Parliament’s history and a severe blow to the core principles of the Union: human rights, equality, nondiscrimination, and respect for diversity, the leader of the Macedonian Alliance for European Integration (MAEI), Vasil Sterjovski, said in an interview with the "Macedonia" newspaper from Canada.

According to him, instead of defending these values, “the European Parliament has become a hostage of Balkan nationalism and blackmail.”

He added that the European Free Alliance (EFA) – the political group in the European Parliament that represents minorities and includes our party, the Macedonian Alliance for European Integration (MAEI), along with OMO Ilinden–Pirin – publicly condemned the erasure of the Macedonian people and warned of the dangerous precedent this sets by encouraging denial and forced assimilation.

“By giving in to Bulgaria’s nationalist demands, the EU sends the wrong message: that its institutions are either powerless or unwilling to protect minority rights – particularly those of the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria, which has long suffered systemic discrimination and political exclusion. This is not just injustice – it is a disgrace to democracy,” he added.

He said that Bulgaria uses the same pressure tactics on Albania, conditioning its EU path with demands aimed at denying the Macedonian identity, language, and cultural heritage.

Instead of fostering European values and cooperation, we are witnessing political blackmail and efforts at assimilation. But Macedonians – wherever they live – will not be a voiceless people. Our struggle for justice, equality, and recognition will continue at every level – local, national, and European, Sterjovski said this in an interview prior to his visit to the Macedonian community in this country, marking the important Ilinden holiday.

Photo: screenshot