SKOPJE -- Lawmakers in North Macedonia have resumed a contentious debate on a French compromise deal to lift Bulgaria's veto blocking Macedonian talks on joining the European Union.
The recent French Presidency's proposal is the only item on the National Assembly's agenda, but arguments could continue into the weekend.
There have been no reports of disruptions or violence.
Thousands of people protested in Skopje and police sealed off the parliament from protesters on July 14 as lawmakers held a raucous first day of debate on the deal, which was recently endorsed by the Bulgarian side.
Opposition deputies inside the parliament chamber blew horns as Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski asked deputies to accept the deal to "move forward, with a protected past, with a certain and stable present, and ultimately a better future."
Deputies loyal to the government applauded him, while some of the opposition shouted, "Traitor! Traitor!"
Opposition lawmakers protested as von der Leyen addressed parliament on July 14.
Rock-throwing and other unrest erupted after reports that Paris floated the compromise late last month.
Bulgaria invoked its veto power on negotiations with would-be members in 2020 to block North Macedonia's candidacy based on accusations that the Macedonian language was simply Bulgarian by another name and that Skopje was disrespecting its shared cultural and historic ties to Bulgarians.
The dispute has underscored regional resentments and risks a further erosion of Balkan faith in the European Union.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addressed the parliament before the debate on July 14, urging lawmakers to approve the deal.
“We want you in the EU,” von der Leyen said in the Macedonian language in her speech, telling deputies the Macedonian language is protected in the compromise deal.
The nationalist opposition Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) has led daily protests since the beginning of July over the deal, which opponents say endangers the language and identity of North Macedonia.
North Macedonia has been a candidate for EU membership for 17 years but its approval had been blocked first by Greece over a name dispute and now by Bulgaria, both members of the bloc.
The Bulgarian parliament lifted its veto last month in anticipation of approval in Skopje, also causing unrest in that country and contributing to a no-confidence vote that toppled Kiril Petkov's government.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said last week that in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, advancing the path to EU membership for North Macedonia, along with that of Albania, is important to all of Europe.