The democratic process could not progress without a free and pluralistic media scene, and journalists should write comprehensibly about reports on progress when it comes to European integration in order to bring the process of integration closer to the citizens, it was assessed at the conference "The role and importance of the media in the process of EU integration - lessons learned and experiences from the region".
"Information is power, and in democratic societies, power must come from citizens, so they need to be provided with the right information in order to make quality decisions," said the head of the political sector of the Delegation of the European Union (EU) Alberto Kamarata.
He pointed out that European integration should be an understandable process for citizens, because the issue of information is at the core of the reform process.
"Progress reports must be as clear and comprehensible as possible, and that is why the help of those who specialize in communications and information is essential in order to bring the 'dry language' closer to the citizens," emphasized Kamarata.
Ana Vujošević, coordinator of the program for EU integration of the Center for Civic Education, pointed out that ground-level attacks on representatives of the media and non-governmental organizations, whether they come through fabricated scandals, attempts to discredit, Kafkaesque processes, or through physical attacks and the destruction of the property of individual media, will have no effect shake the clear will and goal of the most prosperous part of Montenegrin society.
"The essential problem is weak institutions pressured by inappropriate political influence, powerless to fully prosecute and adequately punish all those who work not only against civil society but against the future of Montenegro. The role of independent media and NGOs must be adequately recognized by state institutions," Vujošević said.
The executive director of the independent daily Vijesti Željko Ivanović expects that in the Western Balkans to tighten standards in order to change society and to deserve EU membership.
He pointed out that we live in a democracy obtained in the 90s, and the media that were created then have either disappeared or been marginalized.
"Diplomatic and political reports realistically portray the situation, as much as the media. In other words, the more they cover up or minimize problems, the more a significant number of the media do the same," Ivanović said and added that he was happy to quote one of the biggest media experts in the region, Snežana Milivojević, who previously said that "the media that managed to survive the dictatorship did not succeed to survive democracy".
The conference was organized by the Center for Civic Education, in cooperation with Daily Press Vijesti, as part of the implementation of the project "EU news - get informed!".
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