Analysis
Politics
European Commission Report Highlights Ukraine’s Gains in Governance, Reform and Resilience
7 November 2024
4 October 2022
It is a sign of the times, that what was news the other day is a well-forgotten story today.
It has been barely two months since the Bulgarian-North Macedonian spat was at the centre of EU-enlargement efforts and the French president was desperately trying to clear the hurdles before Skopje’s EU negotiations. Today, there is hardly a word today in Bulgaria’s media about what is going on on that front.
Yet, this might be a good thing. For this is exactly the type of story that shows the dangers of putting too much spotlight on certain problems. Public attention renders some conflicts messier and more difficult because different groups start using them as a banner and a proxy for other wars.
The North Macedonian argument with Bulgaria is a convoluted knot, which can only be untangled with care, patient work and less talk. Hopefully, that is what might happen; equally possible though, is that it gets tied down again.