Montenegrin laws and institutions currently do not have any mechanisms for preventing or suppressing negative foreign influences, it was assessed at a round table organized by the Association for Responsible and Sustainable Development (UZOR).
UZOR program director Marko Pejović said that constant political and religious turmoil made Montenegro a perfect zone for negative influences.
"But also the hyperproduction of online media that do not have a transparent ownership and editorial structure, but have a clear political agenda", added Pejović at the round table "Negative foreign influence: Is Montenegro easy prey for big players?".
Regional Director for Southeast Europe of the Hans Seidel Foundation, Klaus Fiesinger, emphasized the importance of European integration as a stabilizing factor and the fight against anti-Western influence.
"The European perspective is key to promoting democracy, the rule of law and the progress of Montenegro," said Fiesinger.
On the panel "Between East and West", the deputy of the Democratic Party of Socialists, Nikola Rakočević, said that certain parts of the government, using sophisticated tools, are blocking Montenegro's European path.
He explained the difference between the influence of the United States of America and the European Union (EU), which, according to him, "is what we were looking for, while on the other hand we have Russian influence, which is of a malignant nature."
Rakočević pointed out that Serbia can positively influence the economic activities of Montenegro, but it is a problem when it comes to political influence.
The chief negotiator with the EU, Predrag Zenović, when asked to comment on the announced bill on agents of foreign influence, promoted by the "For the Future of Montenegro" coalition, said that it is an anti-European initiative that should be abandoned as soon as possible.
Adviser to the President of Montenegro, Dejan Vukšić, commenting on the fact that, according to UZOR's survey, 43,7 percent of citizens believe that the political situation is going in the wrong direction, he said that citizens expected more from the fight against organized crime, and that is why their great dissatisfaction.
The deputy executive director of the Center for Democratic Transition, Milena Gvozdenović, stated that the elections in Montenegro are conducted by a politicized administration, that the campaigns are full of misinformation and that there is no data on transparent financing.
Gvozdenović said that bad laws in Montenegro go hand in hand with negative financial, political and media influences and that despite the obvious interference of Russia and Serbia in the electoral processes of Montenegro, the country behaves "as if it has nothing to defend".
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