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Why tensions with neighbours have stalled North Macedonia’s EU bid
EU ambassadors failed to approve the opening of the next chapter of EU accession talks with Skopje last week.
In the rural highlands where North Macedonia’s north-east borders Bulgaria’s west, workers swelter in the late September heat.
They’re entering the final stages of building a strategically critical high-speed road connecting the capitals of Skopje and Sofia.
The road is part of the planned ‘Corridor 8’ route linking Italy’s Adriatic coast by sea to Albania, then stretching all the way through North Macedonia to the port of Varna on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. A rail connection along the same corridor is also in the works.
When complete, it will anchor the Western Balkan nations of Albania and North Macedonia into Europe’s transport and trading network, quite literally paving their way into the European Union, while also providing NATO with a strategic military corridor.
But the rail and road project, like North Macedonia’s bid to join the European bloc, has been rigged with obstacles, delays and disputes.
The country’s populist prime minister Hristijan Mickoski has accused Bulgaria of failing to commit to the rail route on its territory, saying the railway will end in a “dead end” on the Bulgarian border. He has threatened to divert the EU funds dedicated to the project to another route known as Corridor 10, which would link Skopje with Belgrade and Budapest to the north, where Eurosceptic nationalists considered close to Mickoski are in government.
The corridor dispute comes amid what Bulgarian officials see as a further unravelling in relations between the two countries, which have plunged to a new low since the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE party scored victory in North Macedonia’s parliamentary and presidential elections last May.
A long-standing dispute with Greece over North Macedonia’s name has also resurfaced, as nationalists in Skopje informally refer to the country as ‘Macedonia’ in what officials in Athens see as a blatant violation of the 2018 Prespa agreement.
It meant there was no unanimous agreement among EU ambassadors last week to open the first negotiating chapters on North Macedonia’s accession to the bloc. Neighbouring Albania, meanwhile, has been given the green light.
EU bets on cash-for-reforms strategy
Despite Albania now overtaking its neighbour, officials in Brussels and Skopje still hope the recently-installed Macedonian government will remain focused on its accession path.
The EU executive is betting on its new €6-billion Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, under which it will inject investment into the seven Western Balkan candidate countries over the next three years in return for reforms designed to bring their economies and societies closer to the EU.
The €6 billion – which consists of €2 billion in grants and €4 billion in concessional loans – will be distributed according to each country’s GDP and population, but only made available once they have implemented so-called ‘reform agendas’ designed to align their laws, standards and practices with those of the EU.
Another unique feature of the Growth Plan is that countries that fail to hit their reform targets could see the funds allocated to them diverted to other countries in the Western Balkans region.
EU sources say the model is designed to create “competition” between neighbours and incentivise quicker reforms.
“Luckily, the new North Macedonian government has really bought into the EU accession process as did the previous government,” a diplomatic source said. “When the new government was sworn in, there were no major deviations from the reform agenda negotiated by the previous government.”
ADVERTISEMENT“But the proof is in the pudding. We’ll need to wait and see if they implement these reforms,” the diplomat added.
The cash-for-reforms model is part of Brussels’ plan to accelerate reforms on a raft of issues including the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the fight against corruption. The reform agendas are expected to be endorsed as early as October, meaning the first “pre-financing” payments could be disbursed by the end of this year.
All countries – with the exception of Bosnia and Herzegovina – have to date submitted their draft reform agendas, as officials in Sarajevo are still deciding how the country’s parliamentary assembly should endorse the plans.
“If a country doesn’t meet its commitment under their reform agendas, the money allocated to it could be transferred to another country in the Western Balkans, creating an element of competition completely new compared to previous financing instruments,” an EU official explained.
ADVERTISEMENTAnother EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, added that tackling corruption was one of the biggest challenges in North Macedonia and other candidate countries in the region, but that the EU executive had robust mechanisms to safeguard its funding.
“Corruption is present. But we have a policy of zero tolerance for corruption and very strict frameworks in place,” the EU official said, “If it happens, and it does, our mechanisms kick in.”
Member states wield veto power
But even if Skopje successfully meets all its targets and reaps the benefits of the Growth Plan, it can only progress on its path to EU membership if it continues to mend the relationship with neighbouring Bulgaria.
That will prove challenging as lawmakers in Sofia and Skopje continue to exchange combative rhetoric.
ADVERTISEMENTEach member state must give its explicit green light to the opening of each step in the EU accession process.
Responding to EU ambassadors’ failure to move on accession talks with North Macedonia, former Bulgarian premier Boyko Borissov – who leads the biggest party in the Bulgarian parliament and chairs its foreign affairs committee – said Skopje had to “face the consequences of its actions,” accusing Mickoski’s government of blaming Bulgaria for delays in its membership bid.
Borissov recently called for the resignation of North Macedonia’s deputy prime minister and transport minister after a war of words involving the Corridor 8 route linking the country’s capitals.
Bulgaria will vote in its seventh election in just three years on October 27, following multiple failures to form a government.
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The official additionally stated that Iran has reviewed a US 15-point proposal for ending the ongoing war in the Middle East and deemed it “one-sided and unfair,” serving only US and Israeli interests, and lacking “the minimum requirements for success.”
“In brief, the proposal suggests that Iran would relinquish its ability to defend itself in exchange for a vague plan to lift sanctions,” he told Reuters.
No arrangement for negotiations has been established yet, the official continued, adding that Turkey and Pakistan are attempting to “establish common ground between Iran and the United States and reduce differences.”
The proposal, which was conveyed to Iran through Pakistan, “was reviewed in detail on Wednesday night by senior Iranian officials and the representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader,” the official said.
On Wednesday, Iranian regime-tied Press TV cited an Iranian official as stating that Tehran considered the conditions of the proposal excessive and would only agree to end the war at a time of its choosing if its conditions are met.
According to an N12 News report on Tuesday, citing three sources familiar with the details of the potential plan, the US was considering declaring a month-long ceasefire during which negotiations on the agreement would take place.
The 15-point plan reportedly contained terms including the dismantling of all existing Iranian nuclear capabilities, a commitment that Iran will discontinue efforts to obtain nuclear weapons, and a requirement that any already enriched uranium be moved out of Iran.
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U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine are being tied to Kyiv ceding the eastern Donbas region to Russia as part of a potential peace deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Reuters in an interview published Thursday.
“The Americans are prepared to finalize these guarantees at a high level once Ukraine is ready to withdraw from Donbas,” Zelenskyy said, describing a proposal he warned could undermine both Ukraine’s defenses and broader European security.
But a U.S. official, speaking on background, told Fox News Digital the claim is false.
Zelenskyy’s comments point to growing pressure from President Donald Trump to reach a swift end to the war, now in its fourth year following Russia’s 2022 invasion.
ZELENSKYY SAYS PEACE DEAL IS CLOSE AFTER TRUMP MEETING BUT TERRITORY REMAINS STICKING POINT
Zelenskyy suggested the administration’s approach is influenced in part by competing global crises, including the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine are being tied to Kyiv ceding the eastern Donbas region to Russia as part of a potential peace deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. (Pavlo Bahmut/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“The Middle East definitely has an impact on President Trump,” Zelenskyy said. “President Trump, unfortunately, in my opinion, still chooses a strategy of putting more pressure on the Ukrainian side.”
Talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine have taken place in Abu Dhabi and Geneva in 2026, but key issues remain unresolved, including how Ukraine’s future security would be guaranteed and who would fund its long-term defense.
Zelenskyy warned that abandoning Donbas would hand Russia heavily fortified Ukrainian defensive lines, weakening Kyiv’s position and potentially enabling future aggression.
“I would very much like the American side to understand that the eastern part of our country is part of our security guarantees,” he said.
ZELENSKYY CLAIMS TRUMP SAID US WILL CONSIDER GIVING UKRAINE DECADES OF SECURITY GUARANTEES
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that abandoning Donbas would hand Russia heavily fortified Ukrainian defensive lines. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has long insisted that full control of Donbas is central to Moscow’s war aims. While Russian forces have made gains, analysts cited by Reuters say progress has been slow, and capturing the remaining territory could take significant time and manpower.
Zelenskyy also warned that Moscow is betting Washington will lose interest if negotiations stall.
“Russia is counting on the fact that the United States will not have the strength or patience to bring this to an end,” he said.
Despite tensions over negotiations, Zelenskyy thanked the Trump administration for continuing deliveries of Patriot missile defense systems, which Ukraine relies on to intercept Russian ballistic missiles.
“Deliveries to us were not stopped. I’m very grateful to President Trump, and to his team,” he said, while adding that supplies remain insufficient.
In parallel with the diplomatic push, Zelenskyy signaled a broader strategy to expand Ukraine’s role as a security provider, particularly in the Middle East, where countries are seeking solutions to large-scale drone and missile threats.
UKRAINE PEACE TALKS PRODUCTIVE AS EX-GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL SAYS COUNTRY RETHINKING ‘UNCOMPROMISING’ STANCE
A cemetery worker prepares a burial vault at military cemetery outside of the city of Dnipro, Ukraine, May 25, 2023. (Seth Herald/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“The United States has reached out to us regarding their bases in Middle Eastern countries,” Zelenskyy wrote on X Thursday, adding that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait have also approached Ukraine.
He said Ukrainian teams are already on the ground sharing operational experience, particularly in countering mass drone attacks.
“No matter how many Patriots, THAADs, or other air defense systems are in the Middle East, that alone is not enough,” he wrote. “There are modern interceptors designed to counter heavy drone strikes.”
Zelenskyy also indicated Ukraine is exploring defense trade arrangements, offering to sell surplus systems and expertise while seeking access to air defense missiles it currently lacks.
“Funding is the scarcest resource today,” he wrote, noting Ukraine’s defense industry is operating at roughly half capacity and needs additional financing to scale drone production.
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Ukraine is exploring defense trade arrangements, the country’s president said. (Iryna Rybakova/Press Service of the 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/Reuters)
In separate posts tied to an address at a Joint Expeditionary Force summit, Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine’s battlefield experience could play a broader role in European and global security.
“We have this experience. … Let’s bring all of this together even more,” he wrote, calling for deeper cooperation with European partners and warning that the continent must build its own capacity to produce air defense systems rather than rely on external suppliers.
Reuters contributed to this story.
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