Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

on women’s entrepreneurship in rural and island areas and outermost regions

(2024/2124(INI))

The European Parliament,

Added– having regard to Articles 8 and 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),

– having regard to Directive 2006/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 July 2006 on the implementation of the principle of equal opportunities and equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupation,

– having regard to Directive (EU) 2023/970 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 to strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms,

Changed– having regard to Directive (EU) 2019/1158 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on work-life balance for parents and carers and repealing Council Directive 2010/18/EU,2010/18/EU(Work-Life Balance Directive),

Changed– having regard to the EUCommission communication of 5 March 2020 entitled ‘A Union of Equality: Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025,2020-2025’ (COM(2020)0152),

Removed– having regard to the European Investment Fund and European Investment Bank Group Gender Strategy,

Added– having regard to the Commission communication of 7 March 2025 entitled ‘A Roadmap for Women's Rights’ (COM(2025)0097),

Added– having regard to the European Investment Fund’s (EIF) and European Investment Bank’s (EIB) Group Strategy on Gender Equality and Women’s Economic Empowerment,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the Cohesion Fund, the Just Transition Fund and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and financial rules for those and for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, the Internal Security Fund and the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy,

Removed– having regard to the Women Leadership Programme of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology and the European Innovation Council,

Added– having regard to the Commission communication of 30 June 2021 entitled ‘A long-term Vision for the EU’s Rural Areas - Towards stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas by 2040’ (COM(2021)0345),

Removed– having regard to the European Research Area gender equality plans,

Added– having regard to the Commission communication of 3 May 2022 entitled ‘Putting people first, securing sustainable and inclusive growth, unlocking the potential of the EU’s outermost regions’ (COM(2022)0198),

Added– having regard to the European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s and the European Innovation Council’s Women Leadership Programme,

Added– having regard to the European Research Area’s gender equality plans,

– having regard to its resolution of 3 May 2022 on reaching women’s economic independence through entrepreneurship and self-employment,

Added– having regard to its resolution of 14 September 2021 towards a stronger partnership with the EU outermost regions,

Added– having regard to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,

Added– having regard to Article 174 TFEU,

Added– having regard to its resolution of 7 June 2022 on EU islands and cohesion policy: current situation and future challenges,

Added– having regard to the Council Recommendation of 8 December 2022 on early childhood education and care: the Barcelona targets for 2030,

Added– having regard to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas of 28 September 2018,

Added– having regard to European Court of Auditors special report no 10/2021 of 26 May 2021 entitled ‘Gender mainstreaming in the EU budget: time to turn words into action’,

– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development,

Changed– having regard to the report of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (A10-0000/2025),(A10-0058/2026),

Change 1

RemovedA. whereas women play a key role in rural economies, yet continue to face legal, financial, cultural and infrastructural barriers to entrepreneurship and economic independence; whereas rural areas are integral to the European way of life, as they embody the balance between tradition and progress;

AddedA. whereas women in rural and island areas and outermost regions play a key role in the dynamism of local economies, the viability of the agricultural sector, and the preservation of cultural heritage, constituting a fundamental pillar for territorial cohesion, social sustainability and economic resilience in rural areas; whereas, despite this indispensable contribution, they continue to face legal, financial, cultural and infrastructural obstacles that limit women’s entrepreneurship and the full achievement of their economic independence; whereas in many Member States, women in rural areas are disproportionately affected by the lack of access to affordable childcare, adequate transport links, digital infrastructure, and gender-sensitive support systems and leisure opportunities, which limits the possibility of full labour market participation and contributes to poor mental health; whereas a large part of the work carried out by women in rural areas remains informal, unpaid and often unrecognised in official statistics, which accentuates the invisibility of their contribution to economic and social development; whereas rural areas are an integral part of the European way of life, reflecting a unique balance between traditional heritage and progress, whose continuity depends on the recognition and effective integration of women in rural development processes; whereas around 30 % of the EU population lives in rural areas, which account for approximately 83 % of the EU’s total territory; and whereas these regions are vital for the EU’s economic stability, social cohesion and competitiveness;

RemovedB. whereas targeted practical support, e.g. micro-loans, mentoring and simplified procedures, can empower first-time entrepreneurs;

AddedB. whereas it is the EU’s responsibility, when carrying out all its actions, to promote equality between women and men in accordance with the Treaties; whereas gender equality is a fundamental value of the EU, a fundamental right, and a key principle of the European Pillar of Social Rights as enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union; whereas Article 8 TFEU lays down the principle of gender mainstreaming, which stipulates that the gender equality perspective must be integrated across all policies and programmes; whereas no Member State has so far achieved full gender equality, and progress remains slow, with Member States scoring an average of 67.4 out of 100 on the EU’s 2019 Gender Equality Index, representing an improvement of only 5.4 points since 2005;

RemovedC. whereas women in outermost and remote regions face intensified challenges and barriers on account of isolation, ageing populations and limited services;

AddedC. whereas women’s economic well-being and success cannot be decoupled from the respect for fundamental rights, including the right to live free from gender-based violence and the right to bodily autonomy through access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, including access to safe and legal abortion care throughout the EU; whereas ensuring safe and respectful working environments, free from harassment and gender stereotypes, strengthens women’s career opportunities and fosters a culture of mutual respect, responsibility and dignity; whereas, consequently, women’s economic independence contributes significantly to their safety and protection from gender-based and domestic violence;

RemovedD. whereas reconciling entrepreneurship with family life remains difficult, particularly in rural areas where public services are limited;

AddedD. whereas the employment gap between men and women in rural areas is around 13 percentage points (compared to 10 percentage points in cities), exceeding 20 in some Member States, with women’s participation in the workforce being only 31.6 % in 2022, according to Eurostat data; whereas the economic loss due to the gender employment gap amounts to around EUR 370 billion per year, while improving gender equality could raise EU GDP by up to EUR 3.15 trillion by 2050;

RemovedE. whereas gender-based violence, stigma and lack of support undermine women’s participation in social and economic life in rural areas owing to a lack of support networks and more pronounced traditional gender roles;

AddedE. whereas demographic decline poses particular challenges for rural, island, mountainous and outermost regions and represents both a challenge and an opportunity to make entrepreneurship more attractive and to enable both business creation and sustainable living in those areas, as the emigration of young people and women in search of better opportunities undermines generational renewal, community vitality and long-term economic development; whereas in the EU the number of relatively young women leaving rural areas tends to exceed that of relatively young men, which may be a consequence, among other reasons, of barriers such as isolation and a limited range of education and employment opportunities; and whereas these demographic trends may hinder the socio-economic development of some rural areas;

RemovedF. whereas digital inclusion is essential for women to access training, markets, and remote work and innovation opportunities; whereas science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education for girls can help close gender gaps;

AddedF. whereas women farmers continue to face inequalities, particularly in access to land, training and financing; whereas statistics show that women entrepreneurs face more difficulties than men in raising finance and capital; whereas 30 % of entrepreneurs are women in the EU, but they only receive 2 % of the non-bank financing available; whereas this figure seems to have dropped to 1 % during the pandemic; whereas data show that women entrepreneurs generate more revenue despite receiving lower financial backing; whereas targeted practical support, for example microloans, mentoring and administrative simplification, can be effective tools to promote entrepreneurship;

RemovedG. whereas support for women in farming, traditional crafts and creative sectors contributes to local economic resilience, cultural preservation and generational renewal;

AddedG. whereas women in border, mountainous, outermost and remote regions face intensified challenges and barriers on account of isolation, ageing populations and limited services; whereas the employment rate for women is almost consistently lower in outermost regions than the EU average, with the highest difference reaching 38.5 percentage points in 2020; whereas youth unemployment is also extremely high in some outermost regions;

RemovedH. whereas gender-disaggregated data is essential for developing rural entrepreneurship policies that effectively address the specific needs of women;

AddedH. whereas women living in island areas and outermost regions face additional difficulties and specific obstacles resulting from geographical isolation, low population density, demographic ageing, and the scarcity of essential public and private services, factors which exacerbate socio-economic disparities and limit access to employment, training, and entrepreneurship opportunities; whereas support for women’s participation in digital and innovative entrepreneurship strengthens economic development and competitiveness; whereas women in rural areas of the eastern border regions are further confronted with the consequences of the war in Ukraine, including security threats, supply chain disruptions and hybrid risks, which hinder entrepreneurship and access to services and finance; whereas addressing these combined challenges requires targeted and differentiated European public policies, in accordance with Article 349 TFEU, as well as dedicated measures reflecting the specific vulnerabilities of border regions, in order to ensure the full economic, social and political inclusion of women in these territories;

RemovedCompetitiveness mainstreaming

AddedI. whereas women living in Europe’s mountainous regions often face specific challenges that limit their entrepreneurial potential, including challenging transport connections and limited access to digital infrastructure, childcare services, training opportunities and financial support; whereas women in Europe’s mountainous regions should be empowered not only as workers or entrepreneurs but also as co-owners and decision-makers in local economic ventures; whereas the creation of special purpose vehicles and cooperative ownership structures can enable women to jointly own, manage and benefit from community-based enterprises; whereas such models, as demonstrated by numerous private sector initiatives, promote inclusive governance, strengthen economic independence and help retain value within mountain areas, thereby fostering collective entrepreneurship, shared responsibility and sustainable regional development for women and girls;

Removed1. Stresses that women entrepreneurs are a key driver of innovation, cohesion and competitiveness in rural areas; calls for improved access to innovation funding, tailored support programmes for small and medium-sized enterprises, and opportunities within the green and digital economies, ensuring that women entrepreneurs can participate fully in emerging markets;

AddedJ. whereas women make up 52 % of the European population and represent 34.4 % of the self-employed in the EU, and only 30 % of start-ups are founded by women, showing both their growing participation and the untapped potential for female entrepreneurship; whereas women in business not only generate economic growth and employment but also drive more sustainable and inclusive business models, scoring higher on environmental, social and corporate governance indicators and being more likely to offer training opportunities to their workforce (EIB, 2021); whereas diverse decision-making groups deliver better, more inclusive and more sustainable outcomes;

Removed2. Calls for the development of structured mentorship networks and peer learning platforms, particularly in areas such as digitalisation, finance and administration;

AddedK. whereas women in rural areas are often disproportionately vulnerable to sexual violence during times of war, invasion and conflict due to isolation, limited access to protective services and weaker security infrastructure;

Removed3. Urges the Member States to promote success stories of rural female entrepreneurs through awareness campaigns to boost visibility, confidence and community engagement;

AddedL. whereas women in rural areas are often under-represented in decision-making processes and governance bodies, such as agricultural cooperatives, social partners and municipal governments; whereas women in leadership and decision-making positions serve as crucial role models for the next generation;

Removed4. Calls on the Commission and the European Institute for Gender Equality, in cooperation with social partners, to analyse key barriers to women’s employment and entrepreneurship, including in outermost and remote regions;

AddedM. whereas access to reliable, comparable, gender- and territory-disaggregated data is an essential condition for accurately understanding the situation of women in rural areas and accordingly, for designing, implementing and evaluating effective public policies that adequately address women’s needs and help reduce inequalities as the full integration of women in agriculture and economic life contributes to achieving the EU’s objectives regarding economic, social and territorial cohesion, gender equality and sustainable development;

Removed5. Supports the Commission’s strategy for the savings and investments union and the creation and expansion of inclusive financial instruments, including a labelled EU investment savings account to increase and facilitate access to finance for EU companies;

AddedN. whereas so-called traditional gender roles and stereotypes still influence the division of labour at home and in society; whereas the reconciliation of professional life, particularly entrepreneurship, with family life remains difficult and continues to represent a significant challenge, particularly for women; whereas this difficulty is especially acute in rural, mountainous and island areas, and outermost regions, where the availability of public services, notably education, healthcare, mobility and childcare, are limited; whereas this lack of infrastructure and support mechanisms undermines equal opportunities, creates obstacles for women to fully develop their business potential, restricts women’s full participation in the labour market, and exacerbates disparities between urban and rural areas; whereas women developing small businesses in rural areas help reduce village depopulation; whereas women’s entrepreneurship should be promoted through intersectional and holistic measures, ensuring their equal participation in the labour market, closing gender pay gaps and tackling gender-based discrimination in labour markets and, more broadly, eradicating gender stereotypes, harassment and discrimination in the world of work and beyond; whereas gaps in access to social protection for self-employed women and assisting spouses, including pensions, sickness and family leave, exacerbate gender pay and pension gaps and discourage entrepreneurship; whereas unpaid care and domestic work are mostly carried out by women, impacting their employment and career progression and contributing to the gender pay and pension gap; whereas the unequal distribution and undervaluation of care and household work, alongside discrimination and gender stereotypes, continue to constrain women’s time and mobility and access to social rights and opportunities in rural and remote areas, leading to lost entrepreneurial potential and poorer work-life balance;

Removed6. Calls for targeted investments in digital infrastructure, skills development and inclusive digital policy frameworks that ensure rural women are not left behind in the digital transition;

AddedO. whereas all forms of gender-based violence, including domestic and sexual violence, psychological, economic and online abuse and stalking constitute a violation of human rights, including the right to bodily autonomy and integrity, and the right to live free from discrimination; whereas women and girls living in rural and remote areas face additional barriers in accessing justice, protection, support services and sexual and reproductive healthcare when experiencing gender-based violence, due to factors such as geographical isolation, lack of infrastructure, limited access to specialised services, digital divide and social stigma; whereas these barriers often lead to underreporting, increased vulnerability, lack of access to support services and impunity for perpetrators; whereas they hinder the full participation of women in the social, economic and political life of rural areas owing to a lack of protection networks and specialised services, combined with the persistent weight of traditional gender roles, and increase women’s vulnerability, perpetuate situations of exclusion, and limit their ability to exercise fundamental rights; whereas the removal of these barriers is an essential condition for the promotion of gender equality, the strengthening of social cohesion and the harmonious development of rural areas; whereas young women in rural areas face higher rates of violence than their urban counterparts and, according to a study by the World Health Organization, one in three women worldwide has experienced physical or sexual violence, with a disproportionately high burden on young women in rural settings;