Position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
01 April 2026 News.jpg)
Organizations of the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia circulated an official letter in connection with a revised draft Action Plan for the protection of the rights of persons belonging to minorities and communities, presented by the government of the neighboring country.
We recall that this Action Plan is a key document, part of the European consensus of 2022, the implementation of which will be monitored throughout the entire negotiation process of North Macedonia’s future accession to the EU. When, inevitably, the expected constitutional amendments formally recognize Bulgarians as legitimate subjects of civil rights in the neighboring country, the Action Plan will have to guarantee the practical implementation and protection of these constitutionally guaranteed rights.
In their position, Bulgarians express concern over the lack of full reflection in the draft Action Plan of their comments and proposals from December 2025. According to them, the document continues to insufficiently address the substantive problems faced by the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia and does not propose effective mechanisms for overcoming them. Among these deficits are: systemic institutional pressure, uneven application of the law, severe restrictions on self-identification and freedom of association, lack of protection against discrimination and politically sponsored hate crimes.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports the legitimate demands of the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia and calls on the government of the neighboring country to heed the appeals of its citizens and to fulfill all commitments made to the EU and Bulgaria. We expect North Macedonia to engage sincerely and consistently in the establishment of a reliable, effective, and sustainable mechanism for the protection of fundamental human rights, in order to be able to secure consensus support for its European path in the future.