We call on the European Union to make a decision on the first intergovernmental conference with Northern Macedonia and Albania as soon as possible and to start membership negotiations so that we can give better results and more efficient reforms in the near future, said Justice Minister Bojan Maricic at a conference yesterday. of the EU and Western Balkans justice ministers held in Brdo, Slovenia. Maricic also told his colleagues that the reforms are made for the citizens, but it would be faster and more efficient if they were at the same time the negotiations for EU membership.

- We cover three important topics: rule of law, education in the judiciary and digitalization in the judiciary. All these three topics are a priority of the Government - said Maricic.

Ten days before the crucial EU Council, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev reiterated Bulgaria's views to several European leaders. At a meeting with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Strasbourg, Radev said he expected concrete and irreversible results in the dialogue with Macedonia, which would guarantee European values ​​in respecting human rights, stopping hate speech and protecting Bulgaria's cultural and historical heritage. announced from his office. He sent similar messages earlier in the meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, also in Strasbourg.

The new Assembly was constituted in Sofia yesterday, and coalition negotiations are underway on the composition of a political government led by Kiril Petkov, which are expected to be completed by the New Year.

At a meeting in Brussels on December 14, Bulgaria will be represented by President Radev, who recently changed the narrative from Sofia to Skopje, and the main demands are now focused on respecting the rights of Bulgarians in Macedonia by including them in the Constitution, as well as protecting Bulgarian cultural-historical heritage.

The Bulgarian requirements are formulated in the so-called "Roadmap five plus one", for which, as Deputy Prime Minister Artan Grubi recently said, Skopje has prepared "comfortable answers" and therefore expects Bulgaria to withdraw from the blockade.

On the other hand, opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski told Radev that whatever he signed with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, they would not respect.

- My message to both Radev and the Bulgarian government is that this unilateral agreement signed by a political refugee like Zoran Zaev, the new government of VMRO-DPMNE does not intend to respect, because it neither participates nor knows what it is - Mickoski told Alsat TV.