Centre for Civic Education (CCE) once again highlights the importance of establishing a small, efficient government, a position we have consistently advocated for over a decade. Instead, we are witnessing the opposite trend: a chaotically expanding administration, with an inflation of overlapping functions, resulting in a record-large and expensive government delivering modest results. The current structure reflects political bargaining more than actual needs, as illustrated by many positions, including the focus of this analysis – the Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Filip Ivanović of the Europe Now Movement (PES).
CCE reminds on previous similar overviews concerning the Minister without Portfolio Milutin Butorović (PES), Deputy Prime Minister for Education, Science, and Religious Affairs Budimir Aleksić (NSD) and Deputy Prime Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Milun Zogović (DNP), as well as two Deputy Prime Ministers from the Democrats – Aleksa Bečić (Security, Defence, Fight Against Crime, and Internal Policy) and Momo Koprivica (Political System, Judiciary, and Anti-Corruption).
Deputy Prime Minister Filip Ivanović has undertaken 115 activities over the past year in this role: 65 meetings, primarily with representatives of EU member states and international organisations, 16 events, 12 official trips, 16 public statements, and 6 media appearances. Specifically, he visited nine countries – North Macedonia, Japan, France, Romania, the USA, Slovenia, Belgium, Armenia, and Hungary, some more than once. He spoke at 15 of the 16 events, typically during opening sessions or panels, while at the AI Summit he was merely present. Besides domestic media, he gave one interview to TRT World. He reacted concerning the UN Charter, interpreted messages from the European Commission and the Council of Europe, commented on the agreement with the UAE, the arrest of Montenegrin citizens in Kosovo, the closing of certain negotiation chapters, Montenegrin Diplomacy Day, as well as on topics such as the ceasefire in Gaza and India, the violence in Syria, etc. The Government also shared his “diplomatic tweets.”
Deputy PM Ivanović often repeats the same messages, focusing only on positive, often unrealistic, portrayals of Montenegro’s EU path or bilateral relations, maintaining a pattern of symbolic diplomacy. There are no recorded initiatives from him on key negotiating chapters or other matters critical to the country’s Europeanisation.
There is also a noticeable lack of domestic engagement – few public appearances and media statements within Montenegro suggest he does not prioritise communication with the domestic public. This reinforces a trend in which high-ranking officials responsible for EU integration – of which there are many in Montenegro (including the DPM and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of European Affairs, and Chief Negotiator, etc) – forget that European integration is primarily a „domestic“ issue requiring in-country engagement, dialogue, and transparency.
Moreover, no engagement with the civil society sector has been recorded on his official page – not a single meeting with NGO representatives in Montenegro or participation in Montenegrin NGO-organised events. It is particularly telling that Ivanović met with think-tank representatives in Brussels to discuss Montenegro’s EU path but avoids such dialogue at home, reflecting the Government’s broader reluctance to engage with NGO sector.
On a positive note, the Deputy Prime Minister did attend international forums such as the Bled Strategic Forum, Yerevan Dialogue, and EXPO 2025. However, there are no public reports, initiatives, or outcomes from these appearances, giving the impression that they were merely protocol visits.
In conclusion, while the numbers might suggest that Deputy PM Ivanović has been active, there are no publicly visible results of substance, especially considering the justified expectations for greater transparency and real impact of the EU path on developments in Montenegro. Montenegro does not need more travellers – it needs reform leaders.