All texts referring to the “Macedonian identity and language” were removed, BGNES reports.

The three largest political forces in the European Parliament—the EPP, S&D, and Renew Europe—agreed to remove the phrases “Macedonian identity” and “Macedonian language.”

MEPs also voted today on reports on Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Georgia.

The debate on the report took place yesterday, July 8. Rapporteur Thomas Waitz emphasized that the report includes the condition for constitutional change, specifically the inclusion of Bulgarians in the constitution. “We see a lot of foreign influence in North Macedonia. We must fight it, whether it is Serbian, Chinese or Russian,” he said categorically.

The European Parliament resolution based on Thomas Waitz's report directly highlights the danger of a “Serbian world” that undermines the sovereignty of North Macedonia and the region, “supported and promoted by representatives of the government in Skopje.”

BGNES reminds that this geopolitical project of Belgrade is not only economic, but aims to destabilize and change the state borders in the region, including the Republic of Srpska, Montenegro, Kosovo, and North Macedonia.

Point 80 of the report states: "concern about the ‘Serbian World’ project and the fact that representatives of the North Macedonian government support and promote this concept; condemning participation in meetings aimed at establishing spheres of influence that undermine the sovereignty of other states and stability in the region."

Point 81 states: "the need to open the archives of the Yugoslav secret services (UDBA and KOS - from the time of the Yugoslav dictator Tito after 1945 - ed.), kept both in North Macedonia and Serbia, as well as the need for these archives to be opened at the regional level in order to overcome the totalitarian past in a transparent manner, with a view to strengthening democracy, accountability, and institutions in the Western Balkans.

"North Macedonia remains the target of hostile foreign influence operations, including efforts to divide the country's social fabric and exploit anti-European sentiments, especially through tabloids and Serbian-language media, which act as regional amplifiers of Kremlin narratives and enjoy significant influence," the document further notes. It specifies that China seeks to expand its influence through control of information, investment diplomacy, and coercive clauses in infrastructure loan agreements.

The report warns that Chinese diplomatic structures have financed paid content and commentary in Macedonian media without clear attribution. A 2023 analysis found that Russian state-linked actors used Serbian media proxies to spread narratives hostile to NATO and claim that the EU was pressuring North Macedonia to “renounce its identity.”

The draft resolution published on the European Parliament's website expresses concern that North Macedonia and other Western Balkan countries that are candidates for EU membership are particularly affected by foreign interference and disinformation campaigns, including hybrid threats, strategic corruption, non-transparent financial flows, and coercive investment practices, particularly originating from Russia and China.

Concern was expressed about “the role of Hungary and Serbia in supporting the geopolitical goals of China and Russia, and in this context, the risk of dependence on China due to asymmetric loan agreements, as well as the loan from Hungary to North Macedonia, which appears to be of Chinese origin.” | BGNES