Vigenin, Same Day: 'There's No Room for New Concessions from Bulgaria'
Bulgarian MEP Ivo Vigenin said there is no room for new concessions toward North Macedonia and that all Bulgarian MEPs signed a joint letter confirming the negotiating framework will not be changed.
Bulgarian MEP Ivo Vigenin, the same day President Siljanovska-Davkova and von der Leyen met in Skopje, said that "if it wants to join the EU, North Macedonia must win the support of the Bulgarian public," and stressed that "there is no room for new concessions from Bulgaria to North Macedonia." According to him, all Bulgarian MEPs signed a joint letter confirming that "the negotiating framework for North Macedonia will not be changed."
Vigenin separately addressed the Corridor 8 project, calling it a "practical test" of cooperation between the two countries, adding that it is "very important, but has been built slowly" — a comment that partly overlaps with the railway tunnel agreement signed the same day by ministers Nikoloski and Karadzhov.
The combination of Vigenin's statements and von der Leyen's announced "first step" points to a possible gap between the tone coming from Bulgarian MEPs in the European Parliament and the signals coming from the European Commission — while Brussels announces the opening of a process, the Bulgarian side on the same day confirms a firm line with no room for concessions.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · October 3, 2026
