The Minister of European Affairs, Maida Gorčević, attended the informal meeting of the EU General Affairs Council (GAC) in Warsaw. The topics of the meeting, hosted by Adam Šlapka, the Polish Minister for European Affairs, whose country currently holds the EU Council presidency, included hybrid threats in the context of the enlargement process, along with a review of potential countermeasures, experiences, and the preservation of public support for the EU accession process.
At the meeting, which was attended by European Affairs ministers from EU member states and candidate countries, as well as EU Enlargement Commissioner, Marta Kos, Minister Gorčević assessed that Montenegro is facing hybrid threats, including coordinated disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, and the instrumentalization of social and traditional media through the spread of false narratives.
“The EU enlargement process consistently serves as a guarantor of security and stability for Europe and the world,” Gorčević stated, noting that this process, as an important factor in strengthening and increasing the EU’s influence, is also becoming a target of sophisticated hybrid threats designed to undermine stability and democracy.
She emphasized that in order to strengthen public support for the enlargement process, it is essential to effectively communicate the concrete benefits of membership. In this context, she highlighted that the recently announced Growth Plan for the Western Balkans is a clear indicator that integration brings economic benefits even before full membership.
“In Montenegro we are witnessing an increase in malign foreign influence, especially as we approach EU membership. Despite these pressures Montenegro’s strong pro-Western orientation, membership in NATO, and full alignment with the EU’s foreign policy have enabled us to successfully resist such challenges,” the Minister informed, highlighting the country’s determination and commitment to completing the EU accession process by 2028.
She added that both at the national level and within the EU, cyber security frameworks must be strengthened, resilience to disinformation must be increased, and campaigns to raise public awareness must be invested in. She explained that Montenegro has already taken significant steps by adopting the Cybersecurity Strategy, establishing national Computer Incident Response Teams (CIRTs), enhancing cooperation with the EU and NATO partners, and establishing the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (W3C).
A key topic of the meeting was the impact of social media narratives and the declining popularity of traditional media. Participants particularly discussed how to strengthen media capacities to defend against disinformation without undermining the credibility of the media or encouraging accusations of bias and censorship. In the context of growing geopolitical challenges at the moment, Gorčević concluded that commitment to the values of the free world, such as the rule of law, democracy, and international cooperation, was and remains the only right path forward.