Šarec, Sokol and Waitz seek response from the European Commission to Spajić’s claims of hybrid threats
Members of the European Parliament have warned that unverified claims of such gravity could amount to „dangerous political populism“, which could also destabilise Montenegro’s European path
Members of the European Parliament Marjan Šarec, Tomislav Sokol and Thomas Waitz have sent a joint letter to the European Commission expressing serious concern over political stability, security and respect for European values in Montenegro, an EU candidate country, Antena M reports.
They specifically address Prime Minister Milojko Spajić’s statements that there is serious security and intelligence information indicating a coordinated hybrid operation against Montenegro, allegedly involving officials from at least two countries in the region.
Šarec, Sokol and Waitz note that Spajić has not publicly specified which countries he was referring to, and ask the European Commission whether it is monitoring the developments and whether it believes they could jeopardise Montenegro’s political stability, European values and progress in the EU accession negotiations.
They also ask the Commission whether it will request an institutional investigation into the Prime Minister’s claims of a coordinated hybrid operation.
At the same time, the MEPs warn that unverified claims of such gravity could constitute „dangerous political populism“, which could also destabilise Montenegro’s European path.
The question of glorifying Mladić
The letter also specifically raises the issue of the public glorification of Ratko Mladić, who was finally convicted of war crimes committed during the wars in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, as well as serious threats against a „senior government official“.
The MEPs ask the European Commission how it assesses the glorification of Mladić and what steps it will take to make it clear that glorifying war criminals is unacceptable in a country aspiring to join the European Union.
- How does the Commission assess the glorification of Ratko Mladić, a war criminal convicted by a final judgment, and what steps will it take to make it clear that the glorification of war criminals is unacceptable in a country that is a candidate for membership in the European Union - the letter states.
The joint appeal by Šarec, Sokol and Waitz comes as Montenegro seeks to accelerate the final stages of its EU accession negotiations, while political stability, the rule of law and respect for European values remain among the key criteria for progress on that path.