MEP: Social economy is a sustainable answer for business and society

The project to support the development of sustainable social enterprises, financed by EU funds, has shown that the social economy can be a sustainable response for business and society, the Ministry of European Affairs (MEP) announced.

They stated that through a project 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 implemented from November 2023 to October last year by the Business Start Center Bar and Caritas Montenegro, with the support of the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Dialogue.

"Although Montenegro does not yet have a law on social entrepreneurship, this model has shown how companies can simultaneously make a profit and create social benefit through employing those who have the hardest time finding work," the MEP statement said.

As part of the project, training was organized for 30 participants, with a focus on improving knowledge, skills and entrepreneurial capacities, ten people completed a six-month work internship, while eight social enterprises received equipment to improve working conditions.

The representative of Caritas Montenegro, Marko Đelović, said that the goal of the project was not only to promote social entrepreneurship, but also to provide concrete support to those who face difficult access to the labor market.

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

One example of successful social enterprises is the Mondo Bianco laundry from Bar, and a special part of the story is the experience of the project beneficiary Nenad Ivanović, an employee of that laundry.

"The positive thing is that I got a job. We wash clothes, dry them, and iron them. It's a working day. It was hard at first, but now it's not. I've gotten some practice. I'd like to stay and work," said Ivanović.

Although the concept of social entrepreneurship in Montenegro is still under development, 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 company itself and social benefits," said Đelović.

The project to support the development of social enterprises has shown that sustainable employment models can still work when social responsibility and economic sustainability are combined.

"That is why the social economy is not just a European concept on paper, but an opportunity for those on the margins to gain a place in the labor market," the statement concludes.