Bulgaria’s is instrumentalising its vote for the adoption of the EU Commission proposed negotiation framework for North Macedonia for other purposes, ie in order to advance a political agenda based on historical and cultural claims which are irrelevant to EU requirements for granting the official statute of candidate country to EU accession. Therefore, it can be regarded as violating the aforementioned international fundamental principles by abusing the rights it is enjoying in the Union as well as the EU legal processes applicable to possible enlargement.