IDM in Podgorica with the CitizEn project

On 3 September 2026, the second workshop in the CitizEn project took place in Podgorica, Montenegro. 14 representatives from think tanks across Europe gathered to continue the discussion started in Chisinau, Moldova, in June 2026, on how to prepare sceptical societies in the EU for a future enlargement of the Union.

The morning sessions were dedicated to joint work on the toolkit. The project participants engaged in a stakeholder mapping of relevant actors involved in communicating about EU enlargement in different countries. They also discussed different national contexts regarding public opinion on enlargement and country-specific anti-EU enlargement narratives. Based on these discussions, the goal was not only to debunk these narratives but also to identify new, positive narratives to increase support for enlargement in the EU.

The afternoon sessions focused on the exchange between project partners and Montenegrin multipliers. 15 representatives from media, politics, NGOs, businesses and academia in Montenegro joined the discussion, which revolved around different EU and national communication strategies and their effectiveness.

Thanks to all of our project partners, in particular our Montenegrin partner, Centre for Monitoring and Research (CeMI), for their support, as well as the Europe House in Podgorica for providing the venue.

On 2 September, IDM also co-organised a side event together with the Centre for Civic Education (CEE). You can find more information here: A bigger EU, but for whom? IDM event in Podgorica – IDM

The project results will be presented during our IDM Conference on 3 December 2026.