North Macedonia's leader is angry at prospect of a new setback in his country's bid to join the EU

SKOPJE, North Macedonia — North Macedonia's conservative prime minister has reacted angrily to reports that his country's troubled European Union accession bid hit a new hurdle because of a dispute with neighboring EU member Bulgaria.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said Thursday that the EU was trying to “dictate” what North Macedonia should do, and suggested that he would accept no further delay in membership talks with the 27-nation bloc.

Mickoski's comments followed reports that EU ambassadors meeting in Brussels on Wednesday decided to push ahead with neighboring Albania's EU accession process, independently of North Macedonia's. Up to now, the two had been moving together. Any such decision would require approval at a higher EU level.

European Commission spokeswoman Ana Pisonero on Thursday declined to confirm that Albania and North Macedonia’s negotiating paths had been separated. But she did suggest that the two are on different tracks, or time frames.

“Our position is very clear, the Commission looks forward to the start of negotiations ... as soon as possible with Albania, and with North Macedonia as soon as possible once North Macedonia has met the relevant criteria,” Pisonero said.

The EU started membership talks with the two Balkan countries in 2022 as the war in Ukraine forced a rethink of the bloc's enlargement process. They became EU candidates two decades ago, although their accession talks never commenced.

But North Macedonia's bid was then delayed by a dispute with Bulgaria over Balkan history, language and culture. To break the impasse, the previous center-left government in Skopje accepted a Bulgarian demand to insert in North Macedonia's constitution a reference to a Bulgarian ethnic minority.

However, it lacked the parliamentary majority to effect the change, and Mickoski's new conservative government says it will only amend the constitution if Bulgaria first approves North Macedonia's EU membership.

Mickiski said Thursday that it was unfair to link his country's EU prospects with Bulgaria's demand.

“For me, this is a dictate,” he said. “If this is the condition for (North) Macedonia to continue negotiations, then I said that in Brussels — no thanks!”

The country's EU path was blocked for years by neighboring Greece over another dispute over history and heritage. It was settled in 2018 after North Macedonia changed its name, from the previous “Macedonia” — which remains Mickoski's preferred usage.

The main opposition Social Democrats' leader Venko Filipche blamed Mickoski's government for the new setback.

“This is a huge disaster for the future of the citizens," Filipche said. "This is a missed opportunity that will affect many families and a whole new generation."