The European People's Party MEP Andrey Kovachev insisted on urgent adoption of changes to the Bulgarian Citizenship Law during a discussion with Bulgarian journalists in Brussels, BNR reported.
Currently, the Bulgarian Citizenship Law is illogical and does not work to legitimize the Bulgarian community in the Republic of North Macedonia, said MEP Andrey Kovachev and called through the media:
"The law must be changed very urgently. The law is currently illogical. The law on Bulgarian citizenship must be changed very urgently and now I will ask you to relay it to all deputies of the Bulgarian Parliament and to the Minister of Justice".
The draft law provides for some of the personal data of people who have received Bulgarian citizenship to become public and to make it clear that they have identified themselves as ethnic Bulgarians. This will also confirm how large the Bulgarian community is in the Republic of North Macedonia, who have Bulgarian identity documents, Andrey Kovachev also said:
"A public register at the Ministry of Justice with a limited number of data on the name and place of residence of the person who requested Bulgarian citizenship and received it. They are almost over 170-180 thousand in relation to Macedonia and are currently probably over 15-20 thousand, which are being processed. You yourself came voluntarily and said: "Here, grandma, grandpa, they are Bulgarians. Here are the documents that they were in the exarchate, in the army, in the Bulgarian school. I have signed a declaration that I feel like an ethnic Bulgarian and on the basis of this I am receiving Bulgarian citizenship".