{"id":3162230,"date":"2025-06-18T08:37:48","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T08:37:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webalkans.eu\/truth-against-myths-about-the-eu-the-western-balkans-in-the-mirror-of-disinformation\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T12:04:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T12:04:32","slug":"truth-against-myths-about-the-eu-the-western-balkans-in-the-mirror-of-disinformation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webalkans.eu\/en\/truth-against-myths-about-the-eu-the-western-balkans-in-the-mirror-of-disinformation\/","title":{"rendered":"Truth against myths about the EU: The Western Balkans in the mirror of disinformation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PODGORICA \u2013 The European Union, as a political community that upholds the highest standards of human rights and values, is frequently targeted by various actors who, through the dissemination of negative narratives, aim to undermine citizens\u2019 trust in the institutions of this union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Social networks and dubious media outlets without imprints or professional journalistic standards in Western Balkan countries attempt to manipulate public opinion by appealing to emotions and political developments, turning sentiment against the fulfilment of European standards and the implementation of reforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most common themes found on such websites and social media pages concern the rights of the LGBTQ population and alleged EU efforts to alter traditional norms that the people of the Western Balkans strongly cherish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2219436\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto;\" src=\"http:\/\/webalkans.a3ia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/facts-come-first_web_02-1-2.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Claims are also often made that EU membership would undermine economic standards and lead to the exploitation of natural resources and other economic potentials in these countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One Facebook <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0b2ZsaAB639XLSXrcAHWmQVrcgMjhMhhZkJ57N5ViE3f9682C4Nr46mxbz4sTXY83l&amp;id=61560746711531\">page<\/a> from Croatia, with around 1,500 followers, claims that Croatia was economically better off while it was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia than it is today as an EU member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cInterpret this as you wish, call me a Yugoslav and attack me, but it must be said: Yugoslavia was a sovereign state, unlike Croatia. Decisions were made by the Croat Josip Broz, not by Brussels or foreign embassies. We had agriculture, shipbuilding, industry, top-tier films and series, and an unmatched music scene. We also had demographic growth and some semblance of moral values, as Western materialism, Coca-Cola culture, promiscuity, liberalism, radical feminism, etc., had not yet arrived. We had optimism in society, smiling faces on the streets, and belief in a better tomorrow,\u201d the post reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the facts tell a different story, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nezavisne.com\/novosti\/ex-yu\/Hrvatska-u-prvih-deset-godina-clanstva-u-EU-dobila-25-mlijardi-evra\/873267\">Croatia received \u20ac25 billion<\/a> from the EU from its accession until the end of 2024, which is about four times more than it contributes. \u00a0Croatia has a total surplus of \u20ac 16.36 billion as the difference between the funds paid to Croatia and its contribution to the EU budget, the Regional Development and EU Funds Ministry&#8217;s State Secretary, Domagoj Mikuli\u0107, told the parliament on Thursday. The funds withdrawn are four time highers than the country&#8217;s contribution to the EU funds since Croatia joined the EU until the end of 2023, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sabor.hr\/en\/press\/news\/eu-funds-ministrys-state-secretary-croatias-absorption-eu-funds-1636-billion-higher-its\">said HSLS MP Dario Hrebak during a parliamentary debate<\/a>, adding that this is also a good message to Eurosceptics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This money not only helped Croatia improve its standard of living but also to implement reforms that enhanced quality of life. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/commission.europa.eu\/topics\/eu-enlargement\/20-years-together\/20-years-together-facts-and-figures-about-benefits-enlargement-eu_en\">EU data<\/a>, it is clear how much countries have benefited from EU membership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/story.php?story_fbid=122173816070358223&amp;id=61560746711531&amp;rdid=8idA7BVj4BIQXTLy\">example<\/a> from the aforementioned propaganda Facebook page tries to establish a narrative that alleged changes in traditional family dynamics within EU member states are leading to the &#8220;feminization&#8221; of European men. The author refers to media reports claiming that French President Emmanuel Macron was allegedly slapped by his wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe ridiculous EU\u2019s leader was slapped last night by his wife. Can you imagine Putin or Xi getting slapped by their wives? You can\u2019t. And that\u2019s one reason why the decadent EU (unlike the East) is sinking deeper economically and politically. That\u2019s part of the answer to why the EU has become an irrelevant actor in global affairs,\u201d says the Facebook post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet, all such claims are demystified by the clear rules written in the EU\u2019s Founding Treaty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union explicitly states that \u201cthe EU shall combat social exclusion and discrimination, promote social justice and protection, equality between women and men, solidarity between generations, and the rights of the child.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Disinformation narratives are also present in Western Balkan countries that are in the process of joining the EU, such as Montenegro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pro-Russian portal <em>IN4S<\/em>, which, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.portalanalitika.me\/clanak\/analitika-medu-cetiri-vodeca-portala-u-crnoj-gori-i-po-povjerenju-i-po-posjetama\">according to some polls<\/a>, is the sixth most-read in the country, often spreads similar or identical controversial content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In one of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.in4s.net\/na-primjeru-hrvatske-evo-sta-nas-ceka-u-eu-lgbt-i-farmako-propaganda-u-skolama\/\">its articles<\/a>, <em>IN4S<\/em> claims that \u201cThe city of Rijeka has introduced Health Education as a pilot project in six primary schools,\u201d allegedly not as a classical health program, but as a sexual education course based on a left-liberal model. According to <em>IN4S<\/em>, the material contains numerous examples of feminist and LGBT propaganda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.in4s.net\/nije-pitanje-da-li-cemo-uci-u-eu-vec-sta-ce-ostati-od-nas-ako-udjemo\/\">article<\/a> from the same outlet said \u201cIt\u2019s not a question of whether we\u2019ll join the EU, but what will be left of us if we do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It asserts that \u201cUnder the guise of fighting for human rights, the EU is increasingly pressuring the educational systems, media, and legal frameworks of member states to accept radical gender theories, while criminally threatening those who challenge these views.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hungary is cited as an example, allegedly having faced harsh criticism after passing a law that bans the promotion of LGBT content to children \u2014 something Brussels reportedly declared a \u201cviolation of European values.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But what\u2019s the truth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Very little of these claims hold water, because the EU\u2019s founding acts make it clear that the Union offers support to Member States, but holds no authority over education policy. Member states retain full sovereignty in structuring, organizing, and determining the content of their education systems, including curricula, financing, teacher qualifications, and the language of instruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In fact, the EU does not aim to eliminate traditional values. On the contrary, in the preamble to the Treaty on European Union, it explicitly states its intention to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDeepen the solidarity among its peoples, while respecting their history, culture, and traditions,\u201d and to \u201creaffirm its attachment to the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto;\" src=\"http:\/\/webalkans.a3ia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/facts-come-first_web_04-1-2.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Article 6, paragraph 3 of this Treaty said that \u201cfundamental rights, as guaranteed by the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and as they result from the constitutional traditions common to the Member States, shall constitute general principles of the Union\u2019s law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Furthermore, all decisions are to be made \u201cas closely as possible to the citizen,\u201d following the principle of subsidiarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also, Article 2 of the same document clearly states that the Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These values, as emphasized, \u201care common to the Member States in a society where pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity, and equality between women and men prevail.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2219846\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto;\" src=\"http:\/\/webalkans.a3ia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Proofseekers-2-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From all the above, it is clear that the Western Balkan countries, once they become EU members, will enjoy the same privileges and rights as all other Member States. Furthermore, as evidenced by the earlier examples, they will also achieve economic progress and an improved standard of living for their citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AUTHORS:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Dejan \u0160ainovi\u0107<\/strong>, Journalist<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Elena Prnji\u0107<\/strong>, Fact checker<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jovana \u0110uri\u0161i\u0107<\/strong>, Fact checker<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Marina Trajkovska<\/strong>, Influencer<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Bojan Ristovski<\/strong>, Young European Ambassador<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PODGORICA \u2013 The European Union, as a political community that upholds the highest standards of human rights and values, is frequently targeted by various actors who, through the dissemination of negative narratives, aim to undermine citizens\u2019 trust in the institutions of this union. Social networks and dubious media outlets without imprints or professional journalistic standards [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3162235,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[694],"tags":[],"area-of-cooperation":[],"country":[245,246,247,248,249,250],"opportunity-type":[],"class_list":["post-3162230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","country-albania","country-bosnia-and-herzegovina","country-kosovo","country-montenegro","country-north-macedonia","country-serbia"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Truth against myths about the EU: The Western Balkans in the mirror of disinformation - WeBalkans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/webalkans.eu\/en\/truth-against-myths-about-the-eu-the-western-balkans-in-the-mirror-of-disinformation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Truth against myths about the EU: The Western Balkans in the mirror of disinformation - WeBalkans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"PODGORICA \u2013 The European Union, as a political community that upholds the highest standards of human rights and values, is frequently targeted by various actors who, through the dissemination of negative narratives, aim to undermine citizens\u2019 trust in the institutions of this union. 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