Podgorica, (MINA) - As a small country, Montenegro must develop mechanisms to recognize hybrid activities that are used to exert malignant influence, with the aim of undermining the citizens’ trust in institutions, said President Jakov Milatovic.

Speaking at the anti-corruption forum organized by BIRN, Milatovic said that Montenegro is in the final phase of EU negotiations and on the very threshold of the membership, making it more than ever necessary to ask “what kind of Montenegro in the EU do we want”.

“The question is what Montenegro will be like in 2028 or 2029, when it becomes an EU member: a country that fulfilled technical criteria but neglected the quality of the process, or a country that used the transformative potential of the negotiations to strengthen and build institutions and defensive democratic mechanisms for all the challenges of the modern age”, Milatovic said.

He said that bilateral cooperation agreements should be harmonized with European norms that the country strives to meet in order to eliminate room for potential corruption and threats to public interest.

Milatovic argues that equally to democratic processes is the malignant influence of third parties, that in various ways attempt to create instability in the country, “with the primary goal of diverting or at least slowing us down on the way to achieving legitimate, strategic and foreign policy objectives”.

He stated that one should never lose sight of the fact that the ultimate goal of hybrid action is for citizens to lose trust in institutions.

UK Ambassador Dawn McKenn said that although the UK is no longer a member of the EU, it remains a strong partner to Montenegro.

She said that the challenges that are present in the EU accession process, such as the abuse of cryptocurrencies and illegal financial flows and the spread of disinformation, are connected.

Deputy Head of the EU Delegation Riccardo Serri said that, during her last week visit, European Commissioner Marta Kos said that the country has entered the final phase of negotiations, but also warned that there is still a lot of work to be done.

Serri reminded that the chapters concerning the rule of law are closed last because it is important for the credibility of the EU process.

He added that the coming year will be an election year and that there is a possibility for external influence.

Charge d’affaires at the Polish Embassy Piotr Stachanczyk said that the topics of corruption, malignant influence, disinformation, are in line with Polish foreign policy priorities, adding that Poland is ready to support Montenegro in the fight against these threats. 

Executive Director of BIRN Vuk Maras said that because of geopolitical events, Montenegro got the opportunity to become part of the EU.

He added that, as countries move closer to the EU, the more they face serious malignant influences from multiple directions.

“In a geopolitical sense, some countries do not want to see us there, because their priority is to weaken the EU. We also have neighbors whose interest is that Montenegro does not go any further, so that it would not become evident that their own reforms are even weaker”, Maras added.