Relationship dossier
Bulgaria
North Macedonia
Relationship assessment
A treaty-based relationship constrained by disputes over history, language and North Macedonia’s EU accession
Bulgaria toward North Macedonia
-25Bulgaria signed a friendship and good-neighbourliness treaty with North Macedonia in 2017 and established a joint commission on historical and educational matters. It has also blocked or delayed progress on North Macedonia’s EU accession negotiations, citing unresolved bilateral issues.
North Macedonia toward Bulgaria
+5North Macedonia signed the 2017 friendship and good-neighbourliness treaty and has participated in its joint commission on historical and educational matters. Disagreements over the commission’s work and implementation of the treaty have continued to weigh on relations.
Overall relationship
-15The 2017 treaty and its joint commission provide a durable framework for cooperation, but disputes over historical interpretation, language and minority issues have repeatedly impeded closer integration. Bulgaria’s opposition to progress in North Macedonia’s EU accession process gives those disputes significant bilateral weight.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Bulgaria and North Macedonia have a bilateral friendship and good-neighbourliness treaty and a joint commission addressing historical and educational issues. Cooperation has been constrained by disputes over history, language, and minority-related questions. Bulgaria has used its EU accession leverage to press for changes, while North Macedonia has engaged through the treaty framework; implementation and interpretation remain contentious.
Areas of tension
- Disputes over historical interpretation and the work of the joint historical and educational commission.
- Disagreement over the Macedonian language and related historical formulations.
- Bulgaria’s demands concerning minority rights and the status of Bulgarians in North Macedonia.
- Bulgaria’s objections and delays affecting North Macedonia’s EU accession process.
Key developments
Bulgaria and North Macedonia signed a treaty of friendship, good-neighbourliness and cooperation.
The two governments established a joint commission on historical and educational matters under the treaty framework.
Bulgaria opposed the EU negotiating framework for North Macedonia, citing unresolved bilateral issues.
Major uncertainties
- The extent of implementation of the 2017 treaty and the joint commission’s recommendations is unclear.
- The scope of remaining steps under the EU negotiating framework, including constitutional changes concerning Bulgarians in North Macedonia, remains uncertain.