“It is an absurd of which we are all aware, though we often refuse to admit it, blaming our cultural heritage, traditional norms of behavior and the role of women in the family and in the society”, said Radulovic.
Speaking at a roundtable entitled ‘New Perspectives for development of women’s entrepreneurship – business without borders and barriers’, she said one of the most important things to do is make a favorable environment for start-ups and development of existing businesses of women entrepreneurs.
“The time for hopes, platitudes and empty promises is over. We are expected to roll up our sleeves, identify obstacles and help in finding measures that will transform the apparent potential of women entrepreneurs into concrete opportunities and chances”, said Radulovic.
The round table was organized by the Montenegrin Directorate for Development of Small and Medium Enterprises and the Association of Business Women of Montenegro, in partnership with the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the United Nations Development Programme in Montenegro.
President of the Association of Business Women of Montenegro, Ljubica Kostic Bukarica, said that the current figure of only ten percent of women business-owners is both devastating and indicative of a large untapped potential.
“The fact is that in Montenegro, women rarely tend to opt for their own business, and when they decide to do so, it is out of necessity, and not out of chances and opportunities available to them”, said Kostic Bukarica.
She said that it’s difficult for women to secure loans and become users of credit funds when over 90 percent of real estate is registered to their male relatives.
“Another important problem for women in Montenegro is reconciliation of work and family life, alongside the lack of support networks, knowledge and skills, etc.”, said Kostic Bukarica adding that better institutional support is paramount for the development of women entrepreneurship.
She said a good start would be introduction of incentives such as tax relief, aid in the form of grants, mentoring programs.
Director of the Directorate for Development of Small and Medium Enterprises, Aleksandar Pavicevic, said small and medium enterprises are the lever of growth of competitiveness of the Montenegrin economy, making a major contribution to employment and growth of the gross domestic product (GDP), strengthening exports, improving international business. He said the positive trend in the number of small and medium enterprises in Montenegro has been evident for several years.
“Last year, the number of small and medium enterprises amounted to 23.3 thousand, which is 29.1 percent more than in 2011. At the end of last year, the sector employed 134.7 thousand people, which is 26 percent more than in 2011”, explained Pavicevic adding that only 9.6 percent of businesses in Montenegro are owned by women.
Head of the Directorate for improvement of business environment at the Ministry of Finance, Jelena Jovetic, reminded of the campaign entitled “No Barriers. So that the work does not stand still”.
The campaign is being implemented by UNDP in Montenegro, in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance and with the support of the British Embassy in Podgorica.
Jovetic added that based on constructive suggestions and proposals receives, an action plan will be made.
Analyst at UNDP for Policy & Human Development, Tomica Paović, said that the purpose of the project is to remove unnecessary, complicated and long procedures in state and local administration, which hamper access to public services for citizens and cause unnecessary costs to enterprises.
“The ultimate goal of the project is that the Government and local authorities take concrete steps that will, where possible, eliminate these perceived shortcomings in regulation and administrative procedures”, concluded Paović.
