EditCommission chief tells Skopje: You need to make the agreed constitutional change
Von der Leyen gave a cold shoulder to PM Mickoski, who had sought to divert her attention from the EU’s Negotiating Framework
“The next and only step before the opening of the negotiations is clear. You need to make the agreed constitutional change. The ball is in your court. The EU is ready”, Commission chief Ursula von der Leyn posted during her visit to Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, on Wednesday (15 October).
She repeated the same words after meeting Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski. It was announced that there would be no joint press conference.
We remain fully behind North Macedonia on its EU path.
You can count on us.
The next and only step before the opening of the negotiations is clear.
You need to make the agreed constitutional change.
The ball is in your court. The EU is ready. pic.twitter.com/s890meaZLP
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) October 15, 2025
Apparently, the EU Commission gave a cold shoulder to Mickoski, who had sought to divert von der Leyen’s attention from the EU’s Negotiating Framework, agreed by all member states in 2022, which also incorporates conditions from the 2017 Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness, and Cooperation with Bulgaria. These include Skopje’s commitment to recognise Bulgarians as a state constituent ethnic group in North Macedonia’s constitution, combating hate speech, and ensuring compliance under bilateral agreements such as the Prespa Agreement with Greece. The framework also stipulates that the European Commission will monitor North Macedonia’s progress and report to the EU Council.
Previously, Mickoski asked von der Leyen for a “clear and concrete commitment from the European Union as a confirmation of the European perspective.”
He said that during the conversation, “the progress of reforms, economic cooperation, energy security and the digital transformation of North Macedonia were discussed.”
“I emphasized the government’s determination to accelerate the country’s European integration through concrete results and implementation of European standards. I pointed out that the country expects a clear and concrete commitment from the European Union as a confirmation of the European perspective and as support for citizens who have remained committed to European values for decades,” the Prime Minister also said.
North Macedonia’s European integration depends on the fulfillment of the conditions of the Negotiating Framework, adopted by consensus by the entire bloc and by Skopje. One of the conditions is the inclusion of Bulgarians in the Constitution.
Caption: Ursula von der Leyen and Hristijan Mickoski in Skopje [X account of the Commission President]
Updated: October 16, 2025 - 17:31
