North Macedonia first sent its application to join the European Union twenty years ago in 2004. However, the small Balkan country looks set to be forced to wait even longer to join amid a fiery row breaking out in the bloc over its potential membership.

The EU has long tried to expand its bloc into the western Balkans. However, both Bulgarian and Greek officials have blasted North Macedonia in recent weeks.

This meant that EU ambassadors failed to approve the opening of the next chapter of the intense EU accession talks with Skopje last week.

Each member state must give its approval to the opening of each step in the EU accession process.

Tensions between North Macedonia, and Bulgaria and Greece – both EU member-states – have resurfaced since a right-wing populist party took power in North Macedonia.

Officials in Athens have condemned North Macedonia, claiming the country has re-opened a long-standing row between the two sides.

Governing nationalists in Skopje repeatedly refer to the country as ‘Macedonia’ in public – despite changing its official name Republic of North Macedonia in 2019 under pressure from Greece in exchange for approving its EU accession bid.

Meanwhile, a row has also exploded between North Macedonia and Bulgaria.

Sofia has demanded that North Macedonia include its Bulgarian minority in its constitution, while Skopje has accused Bulgaria of trying to scupper an important rail route for the country.

The country’s populist prime minister Hristijan Mickoski has accused Bulgaria of failing to commit to the rail route on its territory, saying the railway will end in a “dead end” on the Bulgarian border.

The planned ‘Corridor 8’ route will link Italy’s Adriatic coast by sea to Albania, before stretching through North Macedonia to the port of Varna on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast.

The route is expected to be a huge boost to the Balkan economy and trading network, as well as a key security corridor for NATO.

In response, North Macedonia has threatened to divert EU funds intended for the Corridor 8 route to another route known as Corridor 10, which would link Skopje with Belgrade and Budapest to the north – both of which are led by Eurosceptic parties.

Boyko Borissov, leader of Bulgaria’s largest party, GERB, backed Bulgaria’s decision not to approve North Macedonia.

He said: “Patience is what is required of us. We should not look aggressive because the tactic of our colleagues in the Republic of North Macedonia is to blame us (for their failure with the EU).”

Despite North Macedonia’s failure, its neighbour Albania has been given the green light to move onto the next stage of EU accession talks.