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EU ACTIONS FOR ENABLING WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

Capacity Building for GAP Implementation in ECA Region Brussels, Oct. 20-22, 2008. EU ACTIONS FOR ENABLING WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS. Reinhard KLEIN Head of Unit, Entrepreneurship. PROMOTING WOMEN ENTERPRENEURS IS WISE AND NECESSARY.

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EU ACTIONS FOR ENABLING WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

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  1. Capacity Building for GAP Implementation in ECA RegionBrussels, Oct. 20-22, 2008 EU ACTIONS FORENABLING WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS Reinhard KLEINHead of Unit, Entrepreneurship

  2. PROMOTING WOMEN ENTERPRENEURSIS WISE AND NECESSARY. • Lisbon strategy: ensure that proportion of women in active employment exceeds 60% by 2010 • EU: on average, 30%of entrepreneurs are women. . • The entrepreneurial potential of women constitutes a source of economic growth and of new jobs. • Women often face greater difficultiesthan men in starting up businesses and in accessing finance and training. • Therefore, it is essential to provide women the conditions and support they need to start-up and manage an own enterprise: Access to finance, Information and Exchange, Assistance

  3. THE WAY TO IMPROVEMENT Systematic intervention should tackle: • contextual obstacles (i.e. running informative events and providing entrepreneurship training in schools and universities, challenging stereotypes by raising awareness on women’s contribution in entrepreneurship.), • economic obstacles (i.e. access to capital to develop and growth their business ideas), and • soft obstacles: lack of access to business networks, lack of business training, role models and entrepreneurship skills. Nature and type of challenges areconsistent across Member States.

  4. EUROPEAN NETWORK TO PROMOTE WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURSHIP (WES) Cooperation and exchange of experience • Exists since June 2000. • Composed of government representatives responsible for the promotion of women entrepreneurship. • 30 members from EU, EEA and candidate countries. • Raising the visibility of existing women entrepreneurs & create a climate favourable to woman entrepreneurs. • Increase the number of new women entrepreneurs & the size of existing women-led businesses.

  5. WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURSHIP PORTAL • Links to websites of women entrepreneurs’ representative organisations, networks, projects and events that relate to the promotion of female entrepreneurship. • Information on 5 issues: • National organisations of women entrepreneurs • International organisations of women entrepreneurs • Networks • Projects • Events related to women entrepreneurship

  6. WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE SBA • Creation of an EU Network for Women Entrepreneur Ambassadors. • Mentoring schemes for women to set-up their own business. (MS) • Encourage entrepreneurship amongst women graduates. • Enable state aid for small enterprises newly created by female entrepreneurs. (first 5yrs) Block exemption moreover … • Exchange views with relevant policy stakeholders • Raise the visibility of female entrepreneurship

  7. EU GENDER EQUALITY POLICY (DG EMPL)AND WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP 1. Policy making • Equal Economic Independence • Reconciliation of Work, Private and Family Life • Equal Participation in Decision-Making • Eradicating Gender-based Violence and Trafficking • Eliminating Gender Stereotypes in Society • Promoting of Gender Equality Outside the EU 2. Investigation and Information • European institute for gender equality (Vilnius) 3. Financial instruments: ESF = two-folded approach gender mainstreaming + specific measures (e.g. relevant training / coaching for women) Community Programme PROGRESS(m€ 743 for 2007-2013, of which m€ 89 for Gender equality)

  8. EU REGIONAL POLICYAND WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP Entrepreneurship issues covered: • access to finance and support services, • regional partnership: businesses, public authorities, research institutions, others, • (inter)regional cooperation: clusters, networks. Women entrepreneurship: dual approach  gender mainstreaming + specific actions e.g.  childcare and care for dependent persons, • accessibility to employment areas / transport: bus stops, timetables, security … , • access to finance for female entrepreneurs. Concrete examples micro-loans for women entrepreneurs [FI, IT ], incubators for female-owned start-ups/SMEs, with coaching/support services [DE] networks of female entrepreneurs [HU, ES], network of administrations [GenderAlp]. Important practical issues to be successful • integrated approach at local / regional level + work in partnership, • combining targeted measures and gender mainstreaming in the other measures, • relevant indicators for monitoring and evaluation. All EU countries in the EAC Region fall under the Convergence objective.

  9. EU RURAL DEVELOPMENT POLICYAND WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP Also includes measures to develop entrepreneurship regarding the quality of life in rural areas and diversification of the rural economy. • Diversification into non-agricultural activities • Support for business creation and development of micro-enterprises • establishment and development: investment support (aid intensity linked to national regional investment aid ) and other types of support • Encouragement of tourism activities • Basic services –( ICT networks) and Training Goal: to foster dynamic entrepreneurship in rural areas, while promoting . equality between men and women + gender mainstreaming • When promoting training, information and entrepreneurship, the particular needs of – among others – women are considered. • Selection criteria give priority or bonus point to women’s application. • Leader+ initiative: at decision making level local action groups must include rural women representatives. Examples: • development of childcare infrastructure, potentially in combination with initiatives to encourage the creation of small businesses related to rural activities and local services, • measures tailor-made for women, such as flexible learning opportunities or recreational services for women, • aid for the establishment and development of micro-enterprises founded by women and development of related economic associations.Beneficiaries: female starters of micro-enterprises with co-operation of female-run micro-enterprises in agriculture or the rural economy.

  10. Capacity Building for GAP Implementation in ECA RegionBrussels, Oct. 20-22, 2008 THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION WOMEN'S ENTREPRENEURSHIP PORTAL http://europa.eu.int/comm/womenentr.htm THE EUROPEAN NETWORK TO PROMOTE WOMEN'S ENTREPRENEURSHIP : WES http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/entrepreneurship/craft/craft-women/wes.htm ENTERPRISE EUROPE NETWORK http://www.enterprise-europe-network.ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm ONLINE TOOL FOR SME FUNDING http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sme/fund_tools/fund_tools_theme_en.htmm DG EMPL / equality between women and men http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/gender_equality/index_en.html PROGRESShttp://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/progress/index_en.html DG REGIO publication on Gender mainstreaming and regional development (examples) http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/panorama/pdf/mag22/mag22_en.pdf

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