Labour Market Policies and Social Investment in Montenegro: Attaining European Standards and Practice?

Abstract

The paper analyses the developments of the labour market policies in Montenegro from the perspective of social investment. Montenegro is a candidate country for the European Union membership and there is a need of harmonisation of normative framework. Social investment is gaining considerable attention of EU policy makers and is positioned highly on the social policy agenda. Consequently, the paper examines whether Montenegrin labour market performs in the similar fashion as in the EU. The aim of the research is to show whether Montenegrin labour market will be ready for the accession, both normatively and in practice. Active labour market policies are in the focus of the paper, as they are one of the most representative social investment measures in this policy area. There is also an analysis of two specific policies: so called “mothers’ allowances” and the “apprentice programme”. This analysis shows that Montenegro has a good starting point in terms of the legal framework it has enacted, but in practice, social investment is not present.