Skopje won’t accept any other solution, Macedonian has to become official EU language: Unilateral Declaration
- Post By Magdalena Reed
- 16:07, 19 July, 2022
Skopje, 19 July 2022 (MIA) – North Macedonia will not accept to negotiate for a different solution regarding the Macedonian language; the language must become one of the official languages of the European Union, according to North Macedonia’s Unilateral Declaration to be presented at the first Intergovernmental Conference.
For the duration of the accession negotiations, up until their completion by North Macedonia's signing the Treaty of EU Accession and the country’s full EU membership, North Macedonia will not accept any discussions on a solution regarding the Macedonian language other than the one stated in the Negotiating Framework. With North Macedonia’s EU membership, the Macedonian language will become one of the official EU languages, North Macedonia’s Unilateral Declaration states.
The Declaration states that, as is in the Constitution of North Macedonia, the Macedonian language with its Cyrillic script is the official language of North Macedonia on the territory of the country and in its international relations.
The Declaration further states that the literary standard of the Macedonian language was codified in 1945. In accordance with the knowledge established through acts, widely accepted theories and empirical research by modern international Slavic studies and linguistic science, the Macedonian language has its own linguistic, spatial and temporal continuity. This continuity is based on the specific development of the dialects it is based on and which were widespread on the territory of the current Republic of North Macedonia. The Macedonian language is determined as a Slavic language, a part of the South Slavic group of languages, which throughout the centuries has developed and has become a super-dialectal, national standard language of the Macedonian people.
The Declaration also recalls that the Macedonian language was recognized at the Third UN Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names, held in Athens in 1977.
The Macedonian language is taught at numerous Slavic Studies departments at faculties and universities throughout Europe and the world. Its long oral and written tradition is an undisputed fact in linguistic science. The literature written in Macedonian has received international awards, the Declaration states.
Any contracts, agreements and documents between North Macedonia and the EU, which have language provisions referencing all official EU languages, such as the Frontex agreement, have to be signed by referencing the Macedonian language without any further explanations, additions or footnotes, the Declaration states.
For the duration of the accession negotiations, up until their completion by North Macedonia's signing the Treaty of EU Accession and the country’s full EU membership, North Macedonia will not accept any discussions on a solution regarding the Macedonian language other than the one stated in the Negotiating Framework. With North Macedonia’s EU membership, the Macedonian language will become one of the official EU languages, the Declaration states. ad/mr/