EU cannot ignore history in Balkans enlargement

Few subjects are more obscure than Balkan history. It is a complex accumulation of facts and stories of bloodshed which mean nothing to an outsider, unless the violence erupts afresh to offer exciting news stories.

Understandably, only a handful of people could make sense of the recent row between Bulgaria and North Macedonia.

So perhaps it will be helpful to explain the historical background of the dispute, discuss the reasons for Bulgaria's stubbornness, and a possible way forw...