Bulgarian MP Stanislav Balabanov from the “There Is Such a People” (TISP) party raised concerns on Thursday about an upcoming report in the European Parliament regarding North Macedonia’s progress toward European Union membership. Speaking from parliament, Balabanov pointed to what he described as anti-Bulgarian rhetoric emerging from the process.

According to Balabanov, the political group of the EP rapporteur on the issue, Thomas Waitz from the Greens/European Free Alliance, has adopted a declaration that accuses Bulgaria of pressuring ethnic Macedonians in Albania to self-identify as Bulgarians. He condemned the document as openly hostile to Bulgaria and described the allegation as baseless and offensive.

Balabanov stated that Ivaylo Valchev, TISP's representative in the European Parliament, had already sent a formal letter to EP President Roberta Metsola. In the letter, Valchev outlined serious concerns about the drafting and approval procedures of the report on North Macedonia. He also cited examples of actions by rapporteur Waitz that he said raised questions about impartiality and due process.

In response to the situation, Balabanov called for an institutional reaction from Bulgaria. He urged Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, President Rumen Radev, and Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev to respond formally and defend Bulgaria’s national interest. He also said TISP would propose that each political party in the Bulgarian parliament issue a declaration reaffirming Bulgaria’s official position regarding North Macedonia.

“We must not allow foreign pressure and hidden agendas to pave North Macedonia’s path to the EU if it continues to ignore the accession conditions,” Balabanov stressed. He recalled that one of Bulgaria’s core demands is for North Macedonia to include the Bulgarian minority in its constitution - an issue that remains unresolved.

TISP, Balabanov said, will also request the removal of Thomas Waitz from his role as EP rapporteur, accusing him of bias and of enabling narratives that distort the truth about Bulgaria’s relations with North Macedonia.