No concrete measures have been observed so far by the authorities in the Republic of North Macedonia to curb violence against the Bulgarian ethnic community.
A written question on measures to counter violence and hate speech targeting the Bulgarian ethnic community in the Republic of North Macedonia has been submitted to the Council of Europe. The document is addressed to the Committee of Ministers and is registered as Written Question No. 806 of 17 February 2026, BGNES reported.
The text is signed by Denitsa Sacheva, Deputy Chair of the GERB–SDS parliamentary group and Bulgaria’s representative to the Parliamentary Assembly, from the EPP/CD political group.
The document notes that the Parliamentary Assembly, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) and the Commissioner for Human Rights have received numerous reports of hate speech and hostile incidents targeting persons of Bulgarian origin in North Macedonia.
It stresses that combating hate speech and hate crime is a core obligation of Council of Europe member states and requires a comprehensive approach. Key measures include raising public awareness, training law enforcement and judicial authorities, and the systematic collection of detailed data.
The author points out that, to date, no specific measures have been taken by the authorities in the Republic of North Macedonia to restrain violence against the Bulgarian ethnic community.
Referring to the report on the post-monitoring dialogue with North Macedonia (Doc. 16317, January 2026, paragraph 96), the text recalls that “according to the 2023 ECRI report, ethnic Bulgarians are sometimes victims of hate speech, labelled as ‘fascists’ and physically attacked.” In this context, it mentions the arson attack on the Bulgarian Cultural Centre in Bitola on 4 June 2024, as well as the attack against the Secretary of the Bulgarian Cultural Club in Ohrid on 19 January 2023.
Separate attention is also paid to the legislative amendments of 2 November 2022, through which the parliament in North Macedonia amended the Law on Foundations and Associations. The changes aimed to overturn the legal registration of organisations of ethnic Bulgarians, raising serious legal concerns, including the retroactive application of the new provisions.
In conclusion, two specific questions are addressed to the Committee of Ministers: whether it is ready to urge the authorities in the Republic of North Macedonia to adopt comprehensive measures to restrain violence against the Bulgarian community and to actively combat hate speech and hate crimes against Bulgarians, and what steps will be taken in this regard. | BGNES