The European Commission has confirmed that the border management agreement between the EU and Macedonia remains blocked by Bulgaria because this country does not recognize the Macedonian language.
The agreement with an EU agency, also known as Frontex, has been stalled for three years, but Bulgaria refuses to sign it due to the language clause.
The agreement, signed with other countries in the region, should enable the EU in the event of a refugee crisis, for example, to deploy its own police officers on the Macedonian border, together with the domestic police.
All other countries have this clause where the languages are listed, in the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina all three official languages are listed. However, Bulgaria demands that the “languages of the signatory parties” stand, which is unacceptable for the Macedonian side, because Macedonia would then be the only country for which the language is not specified.
