Radev and Michel Discuss Skopje’s EU Path

North Macedonia’s integration must be a sustainable and irreversible process, and attached to real results in fulfilling the membership criteria. That was the focal point of Bulgarian President Rumen Radev’s phone conversation with European Council President Charles Michel. Radev stated that meeting the Copenhagen criteria, giving constitutional guarantees for respecting the rights of the Bulgarians in North Macedonia, and preserving the Bulgarian cultural-historic heritage in the country were necessary steps on its path towards a united Europe. The Bulgarian President welcomed the “better understanding of Bulgaria’s position in the EU” and highlighted the need to develop clear mechanism and measurable criteria in order to take into consideration the true progress of North Macedonia in the integration process and to meet the democratic norms and principles of the EU. Bulgaria, according to Radev, is open to dialogue and expects concrete results, for which there isn’t a way when it comes to checking them in the days until June’s session of the EU.