Podgorica, (MINA) - The proposal to introduce a trial period for EU membership is an insult to Montenegro and undermines the principle of equal rights, said European Parliament Rapporteur for Montenegro Marjan Sarec, stating that this idea did not originate in the office of the Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos.

“Once it joins the EU, Montenegro must have the same rights as everyone else”, Sarec said in an interview with Pobjeda daily.

He said that he was pleased that Montenegro has maintained its position as a EU integration process frontrunner.

Sarec said that the idea of ​​an EU membership trial period did not come from Kos’s office, but from certain member states.

“I believe that such ideas are an insult to Montenegro or to any country and that they negate the principle of equal rights. Either you become a member of the club or you don’t, because in a formal legal sense there is no trial period. When Montenegro joins the EU, it must have equal rights like everyone else”, said Sarec.

Asked if he believes that the current mood towards EU expansion among the 27 member states is in favor of Montenegro and if the risk of a veto or other obstacle in this regard can be avoided, he said that a lot more effort will be needed to ensure everyone understands how important enlargement is and how essential it is for the EU.

Speaking about the integration process, he said that Montenegro still has a lot of work to do, and that not everything is going smoothly, adding that there are challenges in the fight against crime and corruption, the judiciary, the environmental protection.

When asked what the state failed to do, which was crucial for achieving a better result when it comes to chapters 23 and 24, Sarec replied that progress in those chapters is not fast, because the problems are big.