Marlene Mizzi urges women to unleash their entrepreneurial potential

Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi today participated in a high level lunch debate at the European Parliament on the importance of promoting women entrepreneurship in times of crisis. 

The debate, hosted by Spanish MEP Teresa Jimenez-Becerill, is one of a series of debates which have been held in the European focusing on the role of women in the world of business. The key note speaker was Vice President of the EU Commission and Commissioner of Justice, Viviane Reding.

Mizzi, introduced as "a great woman from a small country" was invited to address the audience.  She spoke about the importance of  encouraging more women to venture into entrepreneurship and  the advantages of financial independence, while highlighting the difficulties which some women find to start their own businesses.

She urged women not to underestimate their potential.

Turning to Commissioner Reding, Mizzi said that in the drafting of the legislation, one should remember that women entrepreneurs could also be employers. Legislation, she said, must not over-burden businesses with  compliance costs involved with the employment of women, as this could back fire on women themselves.

The debate was also addressed by Commissioner Reding. In her remarks Commissioner Reding acknowledged the difficulties which women encounter when venturing into starting their own businesses and  highlighted the Commission's endeavours to  ease these burdens through suitable legislation.

Female entrepreneurship is important to the European Union for both gender equality and economic growth.

Yet, while the gender gap in the labour market is rapidly decreasing, the gender gap in entrepreneurship is still wide. Self-employed women make up only 31% of the total number of self-employed people in Europe and only 10% of the total female workforce.

Moreover, women have the tendency to start businesses in less innovative and risk averse areas.

Malta has one of the lowest rates in Europe with regards to female entrepreneurship with less than 5% of the female workforce identifying themselves as self-employed.