Assessing social progress in the Western Balkans 2016 | Montenegro

This country report provides policy recommendations on how to strengthen social inclusion and protection of minorities in the Western Balkan region and how to enable the environment for CSOs to to provide social services. It focuses on recent developments that have taken place since January 2016.

This country report is based on inputs provided by members of the IRIS Network, a regional network that brings together CSOs providing social services in the Western Balkans. The IRIS network has been founded in the in the framework of the EU-funded project “Improving the provision of Social Service Delivery in South Eastern  Europe  through  the  empowerment  of  national  and  regional  CSOs”,  implemented by the consortium of LIR CD BiH, OGI Croatia, EDC Serbia, SOS TELEPHONE Montenegro, CLARD Kosovo, ARSIS Albania, ASYD FYROM, and SOLIDAR - led by ASB Germany.

The inputs provided by our partners in the Western Balkans are focused on the following sections:

(1)        social inclusion, human rights and protection of minorities;

(2)        the situation of civil society organizations as service providers;

The Government of Montenegro has introduced special benefits for employers who employ vulnerable groups (including the disabled, Roma and Egyptians) in accordance with Montenegrin Employment Law. This means that the state budget provides for insurance, so the employer is not required to pay. The Montenegrin government has also provided scholarships for high school students of Roma and Egyptian origin, and it has reduced the entrance criteria for enrolment for the Roma and the Egyptian populations in schools and universities.