The EU Council rejected the Bulgaria’s declaration which demanded “effective prosecution and conviction of hate crimes by the authorities in North Macedonia”. Sofia requested that its unilateral statement be included in the conclusions of the Council for General Affairs in the section on N. Macedonia, but the ministers refused that request.
Part of the media in Bulgaria announced on Wednesday that the Bulgarian declaration was accepted, but according to the conclusions of the Council, which Deutsche Welle had access to, this is not the case. The Bulgarian media refer to the conclusion on “further strengthening of fundamental rights, freedom of the media and freedom of expression” which is stated in point 12 of the conclusions, and which applies to all countries of the Western Balkans region.
