North Macedonia’s nationalist opposition clashed with police during a demonstration against the European Union’s new proposal on starting the country’s accession process to the EU bloc.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, at least 47 police officers were injured, 11 of them seriously, and dozens of protesters were detained overnight.
The protest again focused on criticism of the Bulgarian vetoby the formal denomination of the language spoken in the country (Macedonian), and was attended by thousands of people having started peacefully in front of the Skopje Parliament building.
Thousands take to the streets in North Macedonia against the EU accession agreement with Bulgaria
According to the authorities, the clashes began after a group of protesters broke through the police barrier.
last night’s protest demanded the resignation of the government and their main target was the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bujar Osmani, whom they accuse of wanting to accept a proposal that they consider harmful to national interests.
The demonstration that lasted throughout the morning was the fourth registered concentration in the capital of North Macedonia In the last days.
The latest clashes occurred a few hours after the visit of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, to Skopje, in which he tried to encourage the Executive to accept the new initiative in order to unblock the accession negotiations to the European Union.
Macedonia. Charles Michel urges Skopje to accept a compromise that opens the doors to the EU
Negotiations with North Macedonia, which also includes Albania, have been effectively blocked since 2020 due to Bulgaria’s veto. which requires the neighboring country to recognize that the Macedonian language has Bulgarian roots and that the two towns had a common history.
For North Macedonia, identity and language are not topics that can be discussed.
In June, the Bulgarian parliament lifted the veto, but Skopje still made reservations that, according to Charles Michel, were considered by Brussels.
In a joint press conference with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovachevski, the President of the European Council said that the proposal foresees that Macedonian is considered “the language of the European Union”like any other, adding that respect for minorities is enshrined in European treaties.
Source: Observadora
