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
20
18
16
20
19
21
21
26
24
28
29
28
30
29
29
30
30
31
30
33
33
37
37
39
42
47
40
How desireable is it to become self-employed in the next 5 years?
Source: Flash Eurobarometer 192, December 2006 - January 2007
AT
BE
DE
DK
NL
SE
SI
HU
FR
SK
ES
LU
UK
CZ
PT
EU25
FI
EE
MT
CY
IE
IT
US
EL
LT
0
PL
10
LV
percent
50
48
48
50
60
Still a “classical” profile
Desirability by social group
percent
How desirable is it for you to become self-employed within the next 5
years? Comparison between socio-economic groups
100
80
60
40
20
0
4
4
5
66
62
69
30
33
27
EU25
Men
Women
4
4
4
46
57
68
51
15-24
2
80
41
28
13
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/promotingentrepreneurship/women/index_en.htm
•
FEMALE ENTR AMBASSADORS NETWORK
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/promotingentrepreneurship/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-tofunding/index_en.htm