North Macedonia’s right-wing Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski has criticised what he calls the European Union’s “double standards” in defending human rights and national identity, particularly in relation to his country’s EU accession process.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on February 16 during a panel on Balkan EU integration, Mickoski pointed out that the country EU journey began well before Albania’s or even Croatia’s, according to the government statement.

However, he argued that the widely touted merit-based system in EU accession negotiations has not been applied fairly to his country.

The country's integration was initially blocked by Greece, but after the country agreed to change its name to North Macedonia, the process resumed. However, the progress stalled again due to Bulgaria’s demand that North Macedonia include Bulgarians in its constitution as a prerequisite for starting EU negotiations.

“For us, the merit system is a fairy tale. We are victims of bilateralisation, making our path to the EU highly complex. Instead of bringing Europe to the Balkans, we have brought Balkan disputes to Europe. Unfortunately, some EU member states from the Balkans have carried their bilateral disagreements to Brussels instead of embracing European values,” Mickoski stated.

Mickoski also raised concerns about external interference in North Macedonia’s internal affairs, citing past instances such as the country’s name change and alterations to its national flag.

“The name change was not the only example of interference in a sovereign state’s internal matters. Let me remind you, we also changed our flag. And yet, we still face obstacles. How long must we endure these double standards? This is not a merit-based process; it is one entangled in bilateral disputes that contradict European principles,” he said.

His remarks came in response to a speech by US Vice-President JD Vance, who had earlier delivered a strong critique of European democracies, arguing that the continent’s greatest threat comes not from Russia or China, but “from within”.

Reacting to Vance’s comments, Mickoski stated: “I hear some comments here in Munich that the American vice president’s speech was seen as interference in internal affairs. But changing our country’s name, changing our flag, changing our currency — are these not interference? How long do we have to suffer from double standards? We are not talking about a process based on the merit system here, we are talking about bilateral disputes that should have nothing in common with European values.”

Despite these challenges, Mickoski reaffirmed North Macedonia’s commitment to EU integration and highlighted the country’s alignment with European foreign and defence policies. North Macedonia is among the top five per capita donors to Ukraine and has met Nato’s requirement of allocating 2% of GDP to defence spending.

“I must emphasise this: when Russia attacks and denies Ukrainian identity, the world reacts with strong condemnation, standing up for Ukraine’s rights. But when an EU member state’s parliament denies Macedonian identity and our language, there is silence,” Mickoski stated.

He concluded by stressing that European unity cannot be complete without the full inclusion of all aspiring member states.