Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic said the country must develop mechanisms to identify hybrid activities and malign influence, warning that disinformation should not be spread by decision-makers.
“Never lose sight of the fact that the ultimate goal of hybrid activity is for citizens to lose trust in institutions. Consequently, this undermines the strategic vision of becoming a full member of the EU,” Milatovic said.
“We should work on strengthening independent institutions and establishing stronger oversight of the crypto market. It is becoming increasingly difficult to track suspicious financial flows in the world of virtual assets, offshore arrangements and complex ownership structures that obscure the identification of beneficial owners,” he added.
BIRN Montenegro Director Vuk Maras said that EU membership represents a historic opportunity for Montenegro, while stressing that the process requires broad cooperation.
“EU accession should not be just a box-ticking exercise but a genuine step towards improving quality of life and the rule of law,” Maras said.
Deputy Prime Minister Filip Ivanovic said the biggest challenge in accession negotiations is securing final court verdicts in organised crime and high-level corruption cases. Supreme Court President Valentina Pavlicic warned that a lack of judicial staff represents a serious obstacle to concluding those cases.
During the forum discussions, civic activists and government and state institutions representatives called for the regulation of cryptocurrencies, warning that legal gaps could be misused in money-laundering schemes.
They also urged strengthening independent regulators in the fight against disinformation and ensuring a systemic and active response to malign influence.