Unlocking rural growth: European Parliament backs stronger support for women entrepreneurs
The European Parliament today adopted a report calling for stronger EU action to support women entrepreneurs in rural, island and outermost regions, from access to finance and digital skills to healthcare and gender mainstreaming across the EU budget.
Women in rural areas are central to Europe’s local economies, food security and social cohesion, yet they remain largely invisible in official statistics, underrepresented in Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments, and locked out of decision-making structures. The gender employment gap in rural areas stands at 13%, and women entrepreneurs receive just 1–2% of venture capital, despite delivering higher returns than their male counterpart.
“Women in rural areas are one of Europe’s most overlooked economic forces. Closing this gap could add up to €3.15 trillion to EU GDP by 2050. With this report, we are setting out concrete solutions to make that happen: better access to finance, stronger integration into EU funding, and a digital agenda that finally includes rural women.”
Valérie DevauxRenew Europe MEP, France, Union des Démocrates et Indépendants
The report calls for a stronger focus on gender equality in EU funding programmes, including the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) and Horizon Europe. It also calls for a dedicated Female Founders Fund and a rural-tailored EU Investment Savings Account to help address the persistent finance gap faced by women-led rural businesses.
On digital and STEM inclusion, the report highlights that there are nearly four times as many men as women in information and communication technology occupations across the EU. It calls for gender equality objectives to be embedded in the Digital Education Action Plan and in emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence and data science.
“If we want women in rural, island and remote areas to fully participate in the economy, we cannot ignore access to healthcare, including sexual and reproductive health and rights. Too many women still face barriers in accessing these services, which directly affects their ability to work, start businesses and build financial independence. This report recognises that link and brings it into the EU policy framework. Securing this recognition was an important priority for Renew Europe in the negotiations."
Valérie DevauxRenew Europe MEP, France, Union des Démocrates et Indépendants