O’Brien: Main Issue on EU Path is North Macedonia’s Agreement with Bulgaria

At the July 30 US Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee hearing, James O’Brien, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, was asked by Senator Jeanne Shaheen what more the US could do to encourage Europeans to make good on the promise to Western Balkan countries that had implemented required reforms, without changing rules or conditions for moving forward towards the EU, as in the case of North Macedonia. He said that the main issue was the agreement North Macedonia had with Bulgaria.

“Once Bulgaria has a more stable government, there will have to be discussions about the exact way that gets implemented. So, that will be an area where I expect us to be very active as well,” he stated, inter alia.