At the invitation of the Ministry of European Affairs, MEF President Ms Svetlana Vuksanovic, took part in public debate “Montenegro and the EU: free movement of workers” organized within EU4ME project financed by the EU and implemented by UNDP.
It is said thereby that Montenegro had done a great deal in the area of free movement of workers and that the accession to EU would have positive effects on employment in Montenegro providing an opportunity for improvement of livelihoods and business environment for its citizens.
The Minister of European Affairs, Mr Aleksandar Andrija Pejovic, explained it was a rather complex area that, once our country accessed the EU, would enable our citizens to exercise their right to work in any country within EU and enjoy the same privileges as the citizens of those states.
The Head of the EU Delegation to Montenegro, Mr Aivo Orav, said that according to data more than 11 million of EU citizens live and work in a member state that is not their country of origin which makes 2.2 per cent of European population. He emphasized that ensuring a free movement of workers is a shared responsibility - of those states which send and those states which take workers.
That free movement of workers is one of the fundamental freedoms of the EU was pointed out by Ms Vukica Jelic, the State Secretary at the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare and the head of WG for Chapter 2. It is, therefore, necessary to work on the strengthening of competitiveness of economy and Montenegrin citizens in terms of knowledge and skills, so that Montenegro can utilize the advantages available in the EU, she added.
MEF President, Ms Svetlana Vuksanovic, said that there is still a lot to be done in this area, especially when it comes to application of innovative solutions, further harmonization with EU legislation and administration capacity building.
She pointed out that some solutions should not be forced as well as that in the process of legislation creation it is important to consider critical circumstances for its later application in practice.
Finally, Mr Srdja Kekovic, on behalf of the Union of Free Trade Unions, said that the very first effects of Montenegro’s membership in the EU could be positive as well as negative. It is why the Government and social partners have to dedicate special attention to Chapter 2, he concluded.
Source: Ministry of European Affairs
