Screening Complete for All Six Clusters — The Bulgarian Veto Remains the Only Obstacle to Opening Talks

The European Commission has published screening reports for all six negotiating clusters in Macedonia's EU accession process. Civic organisation Societas Civilis is calling for the screening's recommendations to become concrete tasks, with a clear owner and deadline for each, rather than staying at the level of diagnosis.

European Affairs Minister Orhan Murtezani confirmed the country has already received all six reports and that the negotiating structure, within its powers, will take them forward and guide institutions on implementing the needed reforms.

"The EU integration process is alive, and the Bulgarian veto is only an obstacle to formally opening negotiations under the framework," Murtezani said, warning that if the documents are viewed purely through a bilateral lens with Bulgaria, the country risks staying blocked indefinitely.

Also on the agenda is the EU's Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, through which citizens and businesses can feel some benefits of membership even before formal accession — independent of the state of talks with Bulgaria.

Screening is a technical assessment of how domestic law aligns with EU law, cluster by cluster. With reports complete for all six clusters, the analytical groundwork is formally done — what is missing is the political decision to open the negotiations themselves, held up by the bilateral dispute.

MKNews Hub · Politics · September 17, 2026