North Macedonia eyes EU accession as 30 September EU report looms

North Macedonia EU accession 30 September Bulgaria protocol constitutional reforms

President Gordana Siljanovska‑Davkova said the European Commission will publish its report on a new enlargement approach on 30 September, marking a pivotal moment for North Macedonia’s EU accession process. She warned that recent constitutional reforms do not guarantee the absence of new obstacles, highlighting the second protocol between Skopje and Sofia as a potential source of future blockage. Siljanovska‑Davkova added that the EU has mechanisms, including interpretative opinions, to prevent identity‑based blockades from stalling candidate countries.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski announced that on 15 July the government delivered a document to the EU confirming that all required obligations have been met, underscoring the commitment to continue reforms despite political hurdles such as the disputed election code. He expressed confidence that Macedonia will stay ahead of many other candidate states.

Both leaders pointed to recent contacts with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev as an opportunity to intensify dialogue and seek joint solutions, while noting that the EU’s upcoming non‑pejper framework aims to provide clear rules to avoid new barriers for candidate nations.