After the naming dispute with Greece was solved in 2019, accession negotiations were expected to start within the same year, but in June 2019 the EU General Affairs Council decided to postpone the decision to October, due to objections from a number of countries including the Netherlands and France.[3] France vetoed the decision again in October.[4] On 25 March 2020 the Council of the European Union decided to open accession negotiations, which was endorsed by the European Council the following day.[5][6] However on November 17, 2020 Bulgaria has blocked the official start of accession talks with the country.[7] North Macedonia is now expected to offer further guarantees to Bulgaria, that it will keep on a 2017 friendship treaty with Sofia, which deals with thorny historical issues.