2023 and 2024 Commission reports on North Macedonia

Amendments tabled for the plenary sitting on this text, in their own numbering series. This is a different set from the committee amendments tracked elsewhere on AmendEU, and is not counted in any of the site’s amendment totals.

1. Amendment 1The LeftMotion for a resolution · Recital C
   Current text

   C. whereas the EU has mobilised approximately EUR 210 million in macro-financial assistance loans since 2020, aimed at stabilising the Macedonian economy, aiding its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerating its reform progress;

   Amendment

   C. whereas the EU has mobilised approximately EUR 210 million in macro-financial assistance loans since 2020, aimed at stabilising the economy of North Macedonia, aiding its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerating its reform progress;

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2. Amendment 2The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 7
   Current text

   7. Affirms the importance of unequivocally recognising and respecting the Macedonian language and identity as an integral part of the nation’s heritage and constitutional order, but also of European values; notes that the European institutions, in country reports and official documents, consistently refer to the Macedonian language in line with international recognition and the implementation of the Prespa Agreement; reaffirms that the respect for linguistic, cultural and national identity is a fundamental component of the EU accession process and a cornerstone of democratic societies which will be further affirmed with the accession to the family of European nations;

   Amendment

   7. Affirms the importance of unequivocally recognising and respecting the Macedonian language and identity as an integral part of the state’s heritage and constitutional order, but also of European values; notes that the European institutions, in country reports and official documents, consistently refer to the Macedonian language in line with international recognition and the implementation of the Prespa Agreement; reaffirms that the respect for linguistic, cultural and national identity is a fundamental component of the EU accession process and a cornerstone of democratic societies which will be further affirmed with the accession to the family of European nations;

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3. Amendment 3The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 8
   Current text

   8. Repeats its calls for the EU’s capacity to act to be enhanced through a reform of its decision-making, including through the introduction of qualified majority voting on the intermediate steps in the accession process, in particular at the start of negotiations and the opening and closing of individual negotiating clusters and chapters;

   Amendment

   deleted

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4. Amendment 4The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 29
   Current text

   29. Notes that certain Chinese diplomatic entities have financed paid content and opinion pieces in Macedonian media outlets without clear labelling; recalls that a 2023 analysis found that Russian state-affiliated actors had used Serbian media proxies to disseminate narratives hostile to NATO and to claim that the EU is pressuring North Macedonia to ‘abandon its identity’;

   Amendment

   29. Notes that certain Chinese diplomatic entities have financed paid content and opinion pieces in media outlets of North Macedonia without clear labelling; recalls that a 2023 analysis found that Russian state-affiliated actors had used Serbian media proxies to disseminate narratives hostile to NATO and to claim that the EU is pressuring North Macedonia to ‘abandon its identity’;

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5. Amendment 5The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 68
   Current text

   68. Welcomes the European Investment Bank’s continued financial and technical support in North Macedonia, including strategic infrastructure projects such as the Rail Corridor VIII, the Skopje wastewater treatment plant, and municipal water infrastructure development; calls for an inclusive and just transition which protects the socially vulnerable, by mobilising public and private financing for the green transition, fully operationalising dedicated funding mechanisms and leveraging EU and international support; stresses the need to address the problems of a lack of specialised staff and weak institutional and administrative capacity, which undermine quality control and the adequate performa…

   Amendment

   68. Welcomes the European Investment Bank’s continued financial and technical support in North Macedonia, including strategic infrastructure projects such as the Rail Corridors VIII and X, the Skopje wastewater treatment plant, and municipal water infrastructure development; calls for an inclusive and just transition which protects the socially vulnerable, by mobilising public and private financing for the green transition, fully operationalising dedicated funding mechanisms and leveraging EU and international support; stresses the need to address the problems of a lack of specialised staff and weak institutional and administrative capacity, which undermine quality control and the adequate p…

   Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
   official amendment document ↗
6. Amendment 6The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 76
   Current text

   76. Welcomes the progress made in the construction of the Corridor VIII of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and commends the completion of the Kriva Palanka–Dlabochica–Stracin expressway; urges, however, the authorities of North Macedonia to step up their efforts to prioritise sustainable transport and upgrade energy infrastructure work towards integration in European networks and regional connectivity as well as to address persistent delays in the development of critical infrastructure, including through bilateral negotiations; calls on the Commission to assist in these efforts where needed;

   Amendment

   76. Welcomes the progress made in the construction of Corridor VIII and Corridor X of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and commends the completion of the Kriva Palanka–Dlabochica–Stracin expressway; urges, however, the authorities of North Macedonia to step up their efforts to prioritise sustainable transport and upgrade energy infrastructure work towards integration in European networks and regional connectivity as well as to address persistent delays in the development of critical infrastructure, including through bilateral negotiations; calls on the Commission to assist in these efforts where needed;

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7. Amendment 7ESNMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 85 a (new)
   Amendment

   85a. Opposes North Macedonia’s accession to the European Union;

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8. Amendment 8ECRMotion for a resolution · Citation 25 a (new)
   Amendment

   – having regard to the Protocol of the second session of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission set up under Article 12 of the Treaty of friendship, good neighbourly relations and cooperation between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia, held on 17 July 2022,

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9. Amendment 9ECRMotion for a resolution · Recital H a (new)
   Amendment

   Ha. whereas finding a shared narrative on their common history is the necessary foundation on which Bulgaria and North Macedonia should build their relations; whereas the relationship between the future generations of North Macedonia and Bulgaria will be a reflection of the educational processes in the two countries;

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10. Amendment 10ECRMotion for a resolution · Recital H b (new)
    Amendment

    Hb. whereas currently, North Macedonia’s EU accession process and the pace thereof are entirely dependent on the Macedonian Government and Assembly;

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11. Amendment 11ECRMotion for a resolution · Recital L
    Current text

    L. whereas the EU has consistently demonstrated its recognition of the Macedonian language and identity;

    Amendment

    L. whereas the EU has consistently demonstrated its recognition of the contemporary Macedonian language and identity;

    official amendment document ↗
12. Amendment 12ECRMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 3
    Current text

    3. Recalls the need to maintain the momentum and credibility of the EU integration process; notes that North Macedonia continues to demonstrate commitment to EU integration and alignment with EU policies; calls for the swift advancement of accession negotiations, while noting the importance of adopting the constitutional amendments; urges the European Council to signal, publicly and unequivocally, that the Council intends to swiftly and unconditionally take the positive decision to enter into the next phase of accession negotiations with North Macedonia once the conditions of its conclusions of 18 July 2022 have been fulfilled, while fully respecting the Macedonian language and identity; enc…

    Amendment

    3. Recalls the need to maintain the momentum and credibility of the EU integration process; notes that North Macedonia continues to demonstrate commitment to EU integration and alignment with EU policies; calls for the swift advancement of accession negotiations, while noting the importance of adopting the constitutional amendments; urges the European Council to signal, publicly and unequivocally, that the Council intends to swiftly and unconditionally take the positive decision to enter into the next phase of accession negotiations with North Macedonia once the conditions of its conclusions of 18 July 2022 have been fulfilled, while fully respecting the contemporary Macedonian language and…

    Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
    official amendment document ↗
13. Amendment 13ECRMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 7
    Current text

    7. Affirms the importance of unequivocally recognising and respecting the Macedonian language and identity as an integral part of the nation’s heritage and constitutional order, but also of European values; notes that the European institutions, in country reports and official documents, consistently refer to the Macedonian language in line with international recognition and the implementation of the Prespa Agreement; reaffirms that the respect for linguistic, cultural and national identity is a fundamental component of the EU accession process and a cornerstone of democratic societies which will be further affirmed with the accession to the family of European nations;

    Amendment

    7. Affirms the importance of unequivocally recognising and respecting the contemporary Macedonian language and identity as an integral part of the nation’s heritage and constitutional order, but also of European values; notes that the European institutions, in country reports and official documents, consistently refer to the Macedonian language in line with international recognition and the implementation of the Prespa Agreement; reaffirms that the respect for linguistic, cultural and national identity is a fundamental component of the EU accession process and a cornerstone of democratic societies which will be further affirmed with the accession to the family of European nations;

    official amendment document ↗
14. Amendment 14ECRMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 8
    Current text

    8. Repeats its calls for the EU’s capacity to act to be enhanced through a reform of its decision-making, including through the introduction of qualified majority voting on the intermediate steps in the accession process, in particular at the start of negotiations and the opening and closing of individual negotiating clusters and chapters;

    Amendment

    deleted

    official amendment document ↗
15. Amendment 15ECRMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 37
    Current text

    37. Urges North Macedonia to fully implement the recommendations outlined in the 2023 ECRI report on North Macedonia in order to effectively address the human rights violations identified;

    Amendment

    37. Urges North Macedonia to fully implement the recommendations outlined in the 2023 ECRI report on North Macedonia in order to effectively address the human rights violations targeting the Bulgarian community in the country;

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16. Amendment 16ECRMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 45 a (new)
    Amendment

    45a. Deplores the increasing discrimination against Macedonian Bulgarians, which include, among other examples, the arson of the Bulgarian ‘Ivan Mihaylov’ cultural club NGO in Bitola in June 2022, the shooting at the Bulgarian ‘Tsar Boris III’ cultural club NGO in Ohrid in November 2022, the attack against the Bulgarian State Cultural and Information Centre in Skopje, which was broken into in March 2023, and above all, the severe beating of Christian Pendikov in January 2023, who was attacked because of his Bulgarian ethnicity, as noted by the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Ohrid; condemns, in the strongest possible terms, such violent hate crimes;

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17. Amendment 17ECRMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 78 a (new)
    Amendment

    78a. Urges the North Macedonian Government to swiftly publish all texts already agreed by the Joint Multidisciplinary Expert Commission on Historical and Educational Issues in the respective languages of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia, and in English, as agreed under the Second Protocol to the Treaty of friendship, good neighbourly relations and cooperation, in which both countries committed to publish on their government websites, within a period of one month upon signing the Protocol on 17 July 2022, all the results and recommendations to date of the work of the Joint Multidisciplinary Expert Commission;

    official amendment document ↗
18. Amendment 18Verts/ALEMotion for a resolution · Recital L a (new)
    Amendment

    La. whereas matters of language, identity and culture are inherently sensitive, especially in contexts involving complex historical narratives and newly independent states;

    official amendment document ↗
19. Amendment 19Verts/ALEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 7 a (new)
    Amendment

    7a. Acknowledges the existence of differing interpretations concerning the origins of the Macedonian language and identity; underscores that its report does not aim to prejudge or constrain scholarly discourse on these matters nor do such interpretations bear influence on Parliament’s assessment of North Macedonia’s progress towards EU accession, which remains anchored in the Copenhagen criteria and the principles of good neighbourly relations, and in line with the criteria agreed in the Council conclusions of July 2022;

    official amendment document ↗
20. Amendment 20PPE, S&D, RenewMotion for a resolution · Recital L
    Current text

    L. whereas the EU has consistently demonstrated its recognition of the Macedonian language and identity;

    Amendment

    L. deleted

    official amendment document ↗
21. Amendment 21PPE, S&D, RenewMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 3
    Current text

    3. Recalls the need to maintain the momentum and credibility of the EU integration process; notes that North Macedonia continues to demonstrate commitment to EU integration and alignment with EU policies; calls for the swift advancement of accession negotiations, while noting the importance of adopting the constitutional amendments; urges the European Council to signal, publicly and unequivocally, that the Council intends to swiftly and unconditionally take the positive decision to enter into the next phase of accession negotiations with North Macedonia once the conditions of its conclusions of 18 July 2022 have been fulfilled, while fully respecting the Macedonian language and identity; enc…

    Amendment

    3. Recalls the need to maintain the momentum and credibility of the EU integration process; notes that North Macedonia continues to demonstrate commitment to EU integration and alignment with EU policies; calls for the swift advancement of accession negotiations, while noting the importance of adopting the constitutional amendments; urges the European Council to signal, publicly and unequivocally, that the Council intends to swiftly and unconditionally take the positive decision to enter into the next phase of accession negotiations with North Macedonia once the conditions of its conclusions of 18 July 2022 have been fulfilled; encourages all political parties in North Macedonia to engage in…

    Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
    official amendment document ↗
22. Amendment 22PPE, S&D, RenewMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 7
    Current text

    7. Affirms the importance of unequivocally recognising and respecting the Macedonian language and identity as an integral part of the nation’s heritage and constitutional order, but also of European values; notes that the European institutions, in country reports and official documents, consistently refer to the Macedonian language in line with international recognition and the implementation of the Prespa Agreement; reaffirms that the respect for linguistic, cultural and national identity is a fundamental component of the EU accession process and a cornerstone of democratic societies which will be further affirmed with the accession to the family of European nations;

    Amendment

    7. Reaffirms that the respect for linguistic, cultural and national identity is a fundamental component of the EU accession process and a cornerstone of democratic societies which will be further affirmed with the accession to the family of European nations;

    official amendment document ↗
23. Amendment 23PPEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 56
    Current text

    56. Is deeply concerned that North Macedonia and other EU accession countries in the Western Balkans are being particularly hard hit by foreign interference and disinformation campaigns, including hybrid threats, strategic corruption, opaque financial flows and coercive investment practices, notably originating in Russia and China; is alarmed by Hungary’s and Serbia’s roles in advancing China’s and Russia’s geopolitical objectives; notes, in this context, the risk of dependence on China caused by asymmetrical loan agreements, as well as the recent loan from Hungary, which appears to be sourced from China;

    Amendment

    56. Is deeply concerned that North Macedonia and other EU accession countries in the Western Balkans are being particularly hard hit by foreign interference and disinformation campaigns, including hybrid threats, strategic corruption, opaque financial flows and coercive investment practices, notably originating in Russia and China; is alarmed by the roles of the Hungarian Government and the Serbian Government in advancing China’s and Russia’s geopolitical objectives; notes, in this context, the risk of dependence on China caused by asymmetrical loan agreements, as well as the recent loan from the Hungarian bank Eximbank, which appears to be sourced from China;

    official amendment document ↗
24. Amendment 24PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 6 a (new)
    Amendment

    6a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that all candidate countries fully respect the sovereignty, constitutional identity and cultural heritage of the existing Member States and hence refrain from any action that comes at the expense of these established EU values or agreements;

    official amendment document ↗
25. Amendment 25PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 8
    Current text

    8. Repeats its calls for the EU’s capacity to act to be enhanced through a reform of its decision-making, including through the introduction of qualified majority voting on the intermediate steps in the accession process, in particular at the start of negotiations and the opening and closing of individual negotiating clusters and chapters;

    Amendment

    8. Calls for the enlargement process not to be used as a means of undermining the sovereignty of the Member States and for unanimity voting in the Council to be retained for all decisions on foreign policy issues, including enlargement;

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26. Amendment 26PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 31 a (new)
    Amendment

    31a. Calls on the state authorities to ensure that school curricula, textbooks and public discourse are free of historical revisionism, hate speech or misrepresentation of Member States that are its neighbours, in particular Greece and Bulgaria;

    official amendment document ↗
27. Amendment 27PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 79 a (new)
    Amendment

    79a. Condemns the recurring instances of public or official misuse of the name ‘Macedonia’ by government officials, public institutions, international fora and sports federations; affirms that the historical region of Macedonia is an integral part of Greek history, culture, identity and of the modern Greek state, and that any appropriation of this heritage constitutes a form of cultural falsification that cannot be tolerated by the EU;

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28. Amendment 28PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 79 b (new)
    Amendment

    79b. Calls on all political actors of the country to unequivocally reject any form of historical revisionism or territorial claims against neighbouring countries, including irredentist rhetoric; underlines that good neighbourly relations must be grounded in the inviolability of borders and mutual respect;

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