Gorčević in Luxembourg: Montenegro’s Progress Toward the EU Must Be Protected from Foreign Interference

Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorčević took part in Luxembourg in a working breakfast of EU ministers for European affairs, organized by the European Centre of Excellence for Civilian Crisis Management, the Irish Presidency of the EU, the European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS). Gorčević stressed that Montenegro, with 21 negotiating chapters provisionally closed, is in a decisive phase of accession to the European Union, but that progress in the negotiations is accompanied by an increasing need to protect democratic institutions and social stability. “Every political disagreement, every delay in the negotiations, and even every debate within the European Union can be exploited to spread the message that Europe does not actually want Montenegro, regardless of the results we are achieving.” She said that Montenegro had established a national framework for coordinating protection against foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), bringing together institutions from the fields of politics, security, law enforcement, cybersecurity and the media, and that it continues to strengthen cooperation with the European External Action Service (EEAS), the European Commission, EU member states and other partners. She emphasized that priorities are focused on improving capacities to detect coordinated manipulation on digital platforms, communicating more effectively with citizens, and strengthening cyber and hybrid preparedness. The meeting addressed strengthening European mechanisms to protect democratic processes and counter foreign interference and information manipulation, as well as the importance of cooperation between EU member states and candidate countries in addressing common security challenges.