In an interview for the MINA news agency, European Parliament rapporteur for Montenegro, Marjan Sarec, says the European Union (EU) should first wait for Montenegro to join the Union then implement internal reforms, including changes to its decision-making process.
Mr Sarec reaffirms that Montenegro remains a frontrunner among the EU candidate countries, adding that fears that new members could slow down decision-making are exaggerated. “The EU should first admit Montenegro — and Albania if it meets the criteria — and only then pursue reform,” he said, warning that delaying enlargement could “lose momentum and lead to another failed expansion.”
He acknowledges the EU’s inefficient system during crises when it comes to the decision-making process, partly due to member states like Hungary and Slovakia that often block consensus, stressing that new members should not be punished because of that.
Commenting on Montenegro’s judiciary and the fact it received quite harsh criticism by both the ruling majority and opposition, Mr Sarec says every political comment regarding the work of the prosecution may be considered as pressure. “The justice system is or it should be a separate branch of power and every political comment might be felt as a pressure”.
As he adds, crime is everywhere. It’s not something we first found about yesterday.
He also addressed migration, saying Montenegro should align its visa policy with the EU for both economic and security reasons. He condemned violence in the country, warning that “not all foreigners are responsible for individual crimes” and that extremists often exploit such incidents blaming foreign nationals for everything bad that’s happening in the country.
“And it’s not just Montenegro, it’s in the entire Europe. That’s why I think the best thing is to tighten border security, to prevent dangerous people from entering the countries and allow only those who wish to work and accept the rules of the country to enter.”
