Skopje, 6 June 2024 (MIA) — The new government will have to address the EU's requirement to introduce the Bulgarian community into the country's Constitution in order to continue its progress toward EU membership, according to EU Ambassador David Geer in a Telma TV appearance on Thursday evening.

Ambassador Geer said that after almost two years of painstaking negotiations with Bulgaria, an agreement was reached to unblock the country's European integration process. Under the agreement, however, the country took on specific obligations, he said.

Some of them were to change the Constitution so as to include people who identify as Bulgarians under the protection of the Constitution itself, Geer said, adding that this obligation has not changed. 

This is an issue that the new Government will have to address directly, Geer said.

According to him, the new government may try to talk with Bulgaria, but he could not imagine reaching a better agreement. He also said it wouldn't be possible to change the negotiating framework either.

The EU Ambassador said the new government now needed to focus on the country's key goal of resolutely advancing toward the EU.

He said EU membership would not only guarantee the state's prosperity and democracy but also strengthen its identity. This had been the case, he said, with many other member states that in the process of joining had had to make difficult decisions. 

Geer reiterated that the state had to focus on implementing reforms and taking the steps required for the country to enjoy the benefits of EU membership as soon as possible. This, he pointed out, required political resolve and rising above political divisions. mr/