Whose Montenegro is it (8)

Whose Montenegro is it for the eighth time? Who governs it and in whose interests it is governed? Who serves the state, and who serves other people's interests?

Montenegro and the European Union - the path to accession that is not conquered by administrative technique, but by a wise and decisive strategy, shaped in a time when various influences tend to blur the direction. History teaches us that every nation, when it finds itself at a crossroads, must choose between immediate comfort and long-term stability, between populism and statesmanship, between form and substance. Today, more than ever, Montenegro must make decisions that are not slaves to daily political interests, but that reflect the maturity of a nation that knows where its natural place is. And that place is in the community of democratic peoples of Europe, in the European Union.

However, there are subjects, both within and outside the borders, to whom European Montenegro does not respond. It will not be open resistance, nor direct sabotage. It will be subtle but systematic undermining, through domestic proxies, those who do not act in the interests of their country but according to the dictates of other centers of power, who use chaos, confusion and institutional weaknesses to keep Montenegro in the gray zone. These proxies will, through individuals, media outlets and even political parties, promote narratives about "neutrality", about "alternatives", about "sovereignism", about personality revitalization... all with the aim of undermining the pro-European consensus and weakening the reform momentum.

In this network of influence, political figures who are on the radar of European services and security institutions pose a particular danger. Those who are persona non grata in EU member states cannot contribute to the European path. Their political agenda is neither European nor pro-Western. Their role, even when rhetorically concealed, is to be a stumbling block, not a foundation for integration. Europe recognizes them, and Montenegro must recognize them as obstacles, not as actors in the process.

That is why today, more than ever before, it is important to have political strength and awareness of the necessity of strategic continuity. Decisions that are made must be state, not party. In the service of the people, not ideological experiments. Our historical responsibility is not to give in to current impulses, but to chart the future for generations to come.

The vast majority of Montenegrin citizens dream of and desire a European future. This dream is neither abstract nor imposed, it is an expression of the instinct of the people who know that their place is where freedom, institutions, order and justice are respected. And although most political actors declare themselves pro-European on a declarative level, practice and actions show who truly believes in European values, and who uses them as currency for daily trading.

We are facing an autumn that will not only be political, but strategic, almost existential. Moves will be made on the Montenegrin chessboard that could shape the country's destiny in the long term. There will be those who will try to play by the rules, to create the illusion of control, to sacrifice pieces in order to seize a momentary advantage. But the wise know that strength lies in a long-term vision, in the right choice of allies, in discerning a true partnership from a tactical interest. Key moves are not made under the spotlight, but in silence, with a cool head and a clear conscience. Montenegro has a chance. But a chance is not a guarantee. It is a challenge. And the response to that challenge depends solely on us.

The author is an economist