EU Sustainable Social Economy Project: An Employment Model that Combines Inclusion and Business 

While a large number of people with disabilities, women, young people and the long-term unemployed in Montenegro have difficulty finding work, a project financed by European Union funds has shown that the social economy can be a sustainable response for both business and society. 

Through the "Support Project for the Development of Sustainable Social Enterprises", worth around 100 thousand euros, people from difficult-to-employ categories of the population were given the opportunity to work in social enterprises in Bar, Berane, Cetinje and Herceg Novi. The project was successfully implemented by the Business Start Center Bar and Caritas Montenegro, with the support of the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Dialogue, from November 2023 to October 2025. 

Although Montenegro does not yet have a law on social entrepreneurship, this model has shown how businesses can simultaneously make a profit and create social benefit by employing those who find it most difficult to find work. 

The project organized training for 30 participants, focusing on improving knowledge, skills and entrepreneurial capacities, 10 people completed a six-month work placement, while eight social enterprises received equipment to improve working conditions. 

As Marko Đelović from Caritas Montenegro explains, the aim of the project was not only to promote social entrepreneurship, but also to provide concrete support to those who face difficulties accessing the labour market. 

"Most of these people remained employed even after the project ended, which is the point of creating a sustainable employment model for difficult-to-employ categories of the population," Đelović pointed out. 

One example of a successful social enterprise is the Mondo Bianco laundry in Bar, and a special part of the story is the experience of the project beneficiary Nenad Ivanović, who works in that laundry. 

"I consider it positive that I got a job. We wash clothes, dry them, iron them. That's a working day. It was difficult at first, but now it's not. I've gained experience. I would like to stay and work," said Ivanović. 

Although the concept of social entrepreneurship in Montenegro is still developing, Đelović points out that there is potential for its growth, especially in the context of the lack of a specific legal framework. 

“Social entrepreneurship is not only a matter of law, but also of the approach of legal entities themselves. It implies equal valuing of the economic activities of the enterprise itself and social benefits,” says Đelović. 

The project of support for the development of social enterprises has shown that sustainable employment models can still work when social responsibility and economic sustainability are combined. Therefore, the social economy is not just a European concept on paper, but an opportunity for those who are on the margins to gain a place in the labor market.