Montenegro

The European Training Foundation (ETF) cooperates with and complements the work of the European Commission and the European External Action Service in its support to Montenegro, which includes assistance to the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro, contributing to EU-Montenegro bilateral policy dialogue.

The ETF is actively supporting the implementation of actions in the Osnabrück Declaration in the region, in close cooperation with its sister agency Cedefop. The Osnabrück Declaration sets out policy actions for the 2021–25 period, in support of the Council Recommendation on vocational education and training (VET) for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience. The national implementation plan for Montenegro describes how the country plans to address EU priorities and achieve its national objectives in VET.

The ETF also gives inputs to EU policy monitoring mechanisms, including the Economic Reform Programme, training and employment policy, assessment of progress on the Small Business Act for Europe and wider human capital developments reported in the Torino Process. Montenegrin actors are encouraged to participate in European platforms and dialogue processes, including the ETF Quality Assurance Platform.

The ETF provides policy advice on the VET dual system and skills development together with awareness raising for the adoption of the EU self-assessment tool SELFIE in schools to support digital readiness and competence development. It supports the gathering of intelligence on skills needs, monitoring of labour-market intelligence and skills relevance, and the professional development of teachers and trainers.