Women entrepreneurs in Europe: EISMEA Report identifies barriers and priorities for support

The European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) has published the report Women Entrepreneurs in Europe: Data, Barriers, and Recommendations for Support, focusing on women’s participation in entrepreneurship across the EU and the main barriers limiting their growth and development.

According to the report, despite women entrepreneurs’ significant contribution to the EU economy, women remain systematically under-represented across all dimensions of entrepreneurial activity. They account for only 33 per cent of business owners in the EU-27 and tend to run smaller businesses, while gaps also persist in growth prospects, business survival, innovation and internationalisation.

In light of these findings, the report identifies five priorities, improving access to finance by diversifying the financial instruments available to women entrepreneurs, creating more favourable institutional and regulatory conditions, strengthening entrepreneurial skills and self-confidence, increasing the visibility of women entrepreneurs and expanding professional networks, improving the collection, quality and availability of data.

The aim is to strengthen the European ecosystem supporting women’s entrepreneurship and contribute to the EU’s social and economic growth.