EU expansion drive in Balkans adds to Bulgarian PM’s woes

By VESELIN TOSHKOV and KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES
Associated Press

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov’s seven-month liberal government is facing mounting pressure over a bid by neighboring North Macedonia to start European Union accession negotiations. Other EU leaders, worried about the impact of the war in Ukraine on the region, are pressing Bulgaria to drop objections tied to a dispute over history and cultural identity. But Petkov’s political opponents at home are demanding that he makes no concessions. The 47-year-old prime minister faces a no-confidence vote in parliament next week after the dispute reduced his administration to a minority government.