Bojko Lambowski on self-esteem in Macedonia

Bulgaria has made it into the EU, and now its neighbour Macedonia is among the potential accession candidates. The two former communist republics are closely related through language, culture and history. Casting his glance across the border, Bulgarian author Bojko Lambowski sees that Macedonia, "our southwestern neighbour, is going through a crisis. Joblessness is up to about 40 percent. Most of the two million citizens are living in poverty and face an extremely uncertain future. But most important is the fact that, in addition to the economic worries, they now have an identity problem... As opposed to Croatia or Slovenia, which experienced the Yugoslavian mini-Empire as a prison, Macedonia was relatively stable and independent. In addition, no one claimed historical rights to it. The high social status, the goods and products that were available to some citizens there, gave the country a certain self-esteem - unlike neighbouring Bulgaria, which was a true Soviet satellite."

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