"There is no particular possibility of a breakthrough in June, not so much because of the technical government, but because the most important thing has not been achieved, ie no rational approach has been found to solve the problems of both countries," said Simonida Kacarska, director of the European Policy Institute.

- It is not so important which country currently holds the EU presidency, as it is important for Skopje and Sofia to find a way to a rational solution, if possible. In that case, the invitation for negotiations will be sent from any summit, as in fact the decision to start negotiations last March was made in conditions of a pandemic. We are far from an optimal situation - says Kacarska for "Free Press".

The Portuguese presidency of the EU is followed by the Slovenian one, but according to Kacarska, Slovenia's proximity to Macedonia is not a guarantee that the country's priority will be enlargement, especially after the non-paper on new borders in the Balkans. Next year, the EU will be chaired first by France, which prioritizes EU reforms, and then by a friendly Czech Republic.

The Macedonian state leadership these days says that it expects the talks with the transitional, ie technical government in Bulgaria to continue in order for Sofia to lift the blockade on our negotiations for EU membership. In contrast, almost all analysts estimate that there is no particular chance of a breakthrough in June, and depending on the political situation and the stability of the future Bulgarian government, it is questionable whether there will be a positive decision at the summit in December.