CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS TO INCLUDE BULGARIANS IN THE CONSTITUTION OF NORTH MACEDONIA BETWEEN INTEGRATION INTO THE EUROPEAN UNION AND IDENTITY
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS TO INCLUDE BULGARIANS IN THE CONSTITUTION OF NORTH MACEDONIA BETWEEN INTEGRATION INTO THE EUROPEAN UNION AND IDENTITY

Summary/Abstract: The constitutional amendments that will enable the inclusion in the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia the citizens living in the Republic and who are part of the Bulgarian people, as well as parts of other peoples - Montenegrins, Croats, Slovenes and others, represent one of the most controversial issues in the recent political history of the country. This issue has opened up a wide social debate in which views on the European future of the state and the protection of national identity clash. According to supporters, the adoption of the constitutional amendments will lead to several potential benefits on a domestic and international level. First, it will enable the continuation of the European integration process. This will then contribute to strengthening internal cohesion in Macedonian society; it will lead to the improvement, even normalization of bilateral relations with Bulgaria; it will pose the Republic of North Macedonia as a serious and credible partner in international relations, and finally, the amended constitution will more thoroughly reflect the reality of North Macedonia as a plural and inclusive multiethnic state. Opponents of the inclusion of Bulgarians in the Constitution primarily emphasize the fear of losing national identity. It is accompanied by doubts about good neighborliness with Bulgaria, with views that the constitutional amendments are imposed; that Bulgaria's historical narrative is accepted without receiving anything in return; that a deep political division in society may occur, which could destabilize the country; that, on the part of the European Union, there is no legal guarantee that North Macedonia will become a member of the Union even after the adoption of the constitutional amendments, especially given the possibility of a new veto by Bulgaria and other EU member states. Failure to adopt constitutional amendments could have serious political, legal, economic and geopolitical consequences for the country, which are analyzed in detail in the paper. The Republic of North Macedonia geographically belongs to a Europe that is uniting. Its place is in the European Union. The process of joining the Republic to the Union should continue. At the current historical moment, the only objective obstacle to its continuation is the failure to adopt the Constitutional amendments to include in the Constitution the citizens who live in the Republic and who are part of the Bulgarian people and parts of other peoples. No matter how the further process unfolds, it remains important for political actors and citizens to conduct debates with respect, with arguments and with a vision for the common future, without endangering either state interests or European perspectives.

• Details
• Contents