Brussels, 3 June 2025 (MIA) — At a session of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos offered to help facilitate talks between Bulgaria and North Macedonia to find a solution to what she called "the bilateral issue" stalling North Macedonia's official start of talks with the EU, MIA's Brussels correspondent reports.

Commissioner Kos also said the Fundamentals cluster of the EU accession negotiations would be opened as soon as North Macedonia adopted the constitutional change required by the EU.

During the debate, the European Parliament's rapporteur on North Macedonia, MEP Thomas Weitz, agreed that the constitutional change was a requirement for EU membership, but he also recalled that the country had waited for over 20 years and implemented key reforms to align its laws with the EU's legislation.

Bulgarian MEP Stanislav Stoyanov from the nationalist Revival party pointed out that in 2022, Bulgaria had lifted the veto on North Macedonia, unblocking the country's accession process.

"Speaking of bilateral issues, they are between the Republic of North Macedonia and the European Union," Stoyanov said.

On Weitz's draft report on the country, which committee members are set to discuss Wednesday, Stoyanov said "some information had leaked" during its preparation, which had prompted Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski to "express dissatisfaction" with some of the amendments submitted to the report.

Stoyanov said MEPs had also learned about unscheduled meetings between the rapporteur and the Macedonian authorities.

His compatriot Andrey Kovatchev from the GERB party asked Kos not to use the term "bilateral" because, he said, the issue was related merely to the EU Council's conclusions that had to be fulfilled for the country to open negotiations.

Ivaylo Valchev of the There Is Such a People party asked Kos to comment on the “real-time leak of critical information” from the draft report on the country.

"I am shocked that an amendment I had proposed in writing to our group was then commented on the next day by North Macedonia's Prime Minister," Valchev said.

In response to their questions, Kos said she would not comment on any leaks from the European Parliament regarding the country report because this was not an issue the European Commission needed to deal with.

"I look forward to receiving the report on North Macedonia," Kos said, adding that it would provide her with "new focus" on the country.

Regarding the “bilateral issue” remarks, Kos said it indeed was a European issue as well as an issue between a member state and a candidate country and they needed to discuss it.

She said good neighborly relations were "impossible without talking to each other."

Kos also reiterated her offer to facilitate the talks. "If I can help, then I am ready to be there 24 hours, or however long it takes, to reach a solution," she said. 

"And yes, North Macedonia has to change the Constitution first and then we will continue with the accession process," the enlargement commissioner said. mr/