Palmer: North Macedonia has met the EU’s requirements, while Bulgaria’s blockade sets a harmful precedent for the region

Former US Special Representative for the Western Balkans Matthew Palmer said North Macedonia has fulfilled everything the European Union has asked of it to advance toward membership. In his view, the obstacle imposed by Bulgaria sets a bad precedent for the entire region.

In an interview with RTVM, Palmer said disputes between the two countries should not block EU accession. He called for more active involvement from Brussels and key member states, describing the possibility of Bulgaria halting Skopje’s European path as unfortunate.

Palmer warned that the situation also affects other candidate countries. He said Belgrade is watching what is happening with Skopje and wondering what demands Zagreb or Bucharest might make during the accession process. Such uncertainty, he said, discourages candidate countries from undertaking the necessary reforms.

He expressed hope that Bulgaria would show restraint and that the European Union would insist that bilateral issues not weigh on the enlargement process. Referring to the US role, Palmer recalled that he had personally taken part in earlier efforts to overcome the obstacle, when Bulgarian demands began to hinder Skopje’s European progress.

According to Palmer, the US side did everything it could to lift the blockade. Although he described the process as complicated, he said he believes Sofia will eventually understand that it is in Bulgaria’s interest to have North Macedonia as a European partner.

Palmer expects the United States to continue supporting both sides, but stressed that stronger engagement is also needed from European institutions and the capitals of member states.

He argued that candidate countries should be assessed on the basis of reforms, not debates over history and identity. However, he said the EU is unlikely to apply this approach without the active support of influential members.

For this reason, Palmer singled out France, Germany and Italy as countries that should take an active role in safeguarding the integrity of a fair and transparent process, in the interests of all parties involved.

Palmer did not propose a specific model for an agreement between Skopje and Sofia. He said several possible paths exist and there is room for “creative diplomacy,” while calling for engagement from both countries, Brussels, key European capitals and Washington.