Education, employment and social policy are inextricably linked and are of great importance for the development of any society. They represent three areas that contain the key elements necessary to achieve sustainable, smart and inclusive growth in the country.

Against this background, the EU has supported numerous projects that improve people’s lives and working conditions, contribute to matching skills with labour market needs and foster proper social protection and the prevention of social exclusion in Montenegro.

The EU has funded two large-scale programmes in these sectors. The first one was implemented between 2015 and 2017 with an EU contribution of €6 million and focused on developing human resources in Montenegro.

A follow-up programme, the Joint EU-Montenegro Programme for Employment, Education and Social Protection, started in 2018 and will run until the end of 2022, with the EU contributing €15.3 million. The programme focuses on supporting businesses and employers, creating jobs as well as on helping to preserve jobs during the pandemic. It contributes to strengthening the education system and social inclusion and improving the social and child protection system in Montenegro.

The EU will continue to support Montenegro in strengthening competitiveness and social cohesion in the future.