SMEs and Entrepreneurship Policy:

European Actions for Women Entrepreneurs

1st FORUM FOR SOUTH EAST EUROPEAN WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
21 September 2010, Istanbul

ANNA DANTI
DG Enterprise and Industry, Unit E1, Entrepreneurship
 What is Entrepreneurship?
Entrepreneurship refers to an individual’s ability
to turn ideas into action (Commission)
 creativity,
 innovation
 risk acceptance,
 the ability to plan and manage projects in
order to achieve objectives.
(Council Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning COM(2005)548
 Desirability

70
60
50 48 48 7
50 4
42
39 37 37
percent

40 33 33 31 0 0 0
3 3 3 29 29 29 28 28
30 26 24
21 21 20 19 8
1 16
20
10
0
IE

EE

DE
EU25
FI

FR
HU
IT

MT

PT
US

UK

ES

SE

BE
DK
PL

EL

NL
SI
LU
LT

CZ
CY

SK

AT
LV

How desireable is it to become self-employed in the next 5 years?

Source: Flash Eurobarometer 192, December 2006 - January 2007

 Still a “classical” profile
Desirability by social group
How desirable is it for you to become self-employed within the next 5
years? Comparison between socio-economic groups

100 4 4 5 4 4 4 2
80 46
66 62 57 68
60 69 80
percent

40
20 51 41
30 33 27 28
0 13
EU25 Men Women 15-24 25-39 40-54 55+

Don't know / No answer

Rather undesirable and not desirable at all
Very and rather desirable
Source: Flash Eurobarometer 192, December 2006 - January 2007
 PROMOTING WOMEN ENTERPRENEURS
IS WISE AND NECESSARY
• At the heart of the Lisbon strategy: ensure that the
proportion of women in active employment exceeds
60% by 2010.
• The entrepreneurial potential of women constitutes an
underdeveloped source of economic growth and of new
jobs
• Women constitute, on average, 30% of entrepreneurs
in the EU. (36% start-ups 20% industry)
• They often face greater difficulties than men in starting
up businesses and in accessing finance and training.
• It is essential to provide women the support they need
in order to start-up and manage their own enterprise.
1.THE EUROPEAN NETWORK TO PROMOTE
WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURSHIP (WES)

• launched in June 2000

• It is composed of government representatives
responsible for the promotion of women
entrepreneurship.
• It has 30 members from the European Union,
EEA and candidate countries.
• Meetings twice a year
• Annual activity report
• Advice on future policy orientation
WES OBJECTIVES
• Raising the visibility of existing women
entrepreneurs
• Create a climate that is favourable to woman
entrepreneurs
• Increase the number of new women
entrepreneurs
• Increase the size of existing women-led
businesses
2. NETWORKING: CO-OPERATION WITH
BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF WOMEN
ENTREPRENEURS

• Contacts and exchange of information, with many

national business organisations of women
entrepreneurs from all the EU 27 countries and also
from abroad. For example:
 FEM-UEAPME - Female Europeans of Small and Medium
Enterprises
 FCEM - The Worldwide Network of Women Business Owners
 EWN - Eurochambres Women's Network
etc.
3. WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURSHIP
PORTAL

• Provides links to the websites of women entrepreneurs’

representative organisations, networks, projects and events that
relate to the promotion of female entrepreneurship.

• The information on 5 areas:

 National organisations of women entrepreneurs
 International organisations of women entrepreneurs
 Networks
 Projects
 Events related to women entrepreneurship
4. Small Business Act
1. Create an environment in which entrepreneurs and family
businesses can thrive and entrepreneurship is rewarded This
includes (politically binding principles)
- the creation of the European Network of Female
Entrepreneurship Ambassadors
- mentoring schemes for women to set-up their own business
- encourage entrepreneurship amongst women graduates part
of the entr. education call.
2. General Block Exemption Regulation on State Aids (GBER)
(Legislative measures- already adopted)
Enable state aid for small enterprises newly created by female
entrepreneurs without DG COMP procedure up to €1M
THE EUROPEAN NETWORK OF
FEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
AMBASSADORS
• Launched on 5 October 2009 in Stockholm
• Currently has 10 European Countries as members:
Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy,
Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden
• Second call:12 more European countries ready to
enter pending final approval (Albania, Belgium,
Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg,
Malta, Portugal, Romania, Serbia and UK). Event on
December with Belgian Presidency.
 THE AMBASSADORS
• Serve as role models and highlight the role that women
can play in creating jobs and promoting competitiveness.
• Promote entrepreneurship in schools, universities,
community groups and the media, aiming to inspire
women of all ages to set up their own businesses.
• Telling their own stories will help to raise confidence in
setting up and creating successful businesses in all areas.
First feedback from ambassadors very positive.
 1/ ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION
FOR WOMEN GRADUATES
Project: ‘Women@Business’ EL, ES, IT, CY, UK
• The project main objectives are:
•        to create the correct conditions for young female
graduates and young women from ethnic minorities or
immigrant backgrounds, to be encouraged to pursue
entrepreneurship
•        to produce an innovative and sustainable model of a
full consultancy package to promote entrepreneurship
2/ MENTORING SCHEMES FOR
WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
call November 2010
STUDY ON WOMEN INNOVATORS
AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Data shows:

• No more than 8.3% of patents awarded by the European Patent

Office are awarded to women.

• 20.3% of businesses started with venture capital belong to female

entrepreneurs.

• In Europe 5%-15% of high-tech business is owned by women.

• Women score less than men when assessing the level of

innovation of their own business (expl. process innovation: 4.1%
women - 7.8% men; marketing innovation: 9.1% women - 10.45%
men).
Further results
• Women are lagging behind on innovative entrepreneurship
and encounter specific challenges.

• Women’s ideas for innovation are as marketable as men’s,

but…

• Innovative ideas are not recognised by predominantly male

stakeholders.

• Stereotypes about women in innovative sectors and difficulties

in balancing work and family still persist.

• Stakeholders not aware of women’s different needs and there

are no measures attempting to attract women.
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: (access to business networks, business training, role models

and entrepreneurship skills).

Nature and type of challenges are

consistent across Member States.
HAULISTIC APPROACH
• Work to encourage and support entrepreneurship but,
besides access to finance and access to business
opportunities also…
• Create the environment that would enable women to
reach their potential and become sucessful
entrepreneurs
Ensure reconciling professional –personal life balance
is possible.
Fight Stereotypes-change perceptions- role models
Access to information and care take facilities– tailored
made training – networking
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
CONTACTS
• WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/promoting-
entrepreneurship/women/index_en.htm

• FEMALE ENTR AMBASSADORS NETWORK

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/promoting-
entrepreneurship/women/ambassadors/index_en.htm

• ENTERPRISE EUROPE NETWORK

http://www.enterprise-europe-network.ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm

• ON LINE TOOL FOR SME FUNDING

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/finance/guide-to-
funding/index_en.htm