Approaches To valorise the High ENtrepreneuriAl potential of migrant women to contribute to their social and economic integration

ended

Several studies illustrate the gaps in integration outcomes between migrant men and women. These gaps are part of a vicious circle in which lower economic opportunities affect social integration of women and viceversa. In Nov.2019, at SMART Volunteering for Migrant Women (2018-2019, AMIF) Final Conference, a majority of interventions from migrant women focused on the lack of economic opportunities as the main handicap to a proper integration. The EU Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan intends to remove obstacles and revolutionise the culture of entrepreneurship, where business services reach all potential entrepreneurs, including those from more vulnerable groups, making the EU more cohesive. One commitment in the action plan is to facilitate entrepreneurship among migrants already residing in the EU based on best practices. Migrants represent an important pool of potential entrepreneurs, but they face, as a vulnerable group, specific legal, cultural and linguistic obstacles. These issues need to be addressed in full to give support equitable to that received by all other entrepreneurial groups. The EU action plan on the integration of third country nationals also ensures that third country nationals can contribute economically and socially to their host communities, and that is key to the future well-being, prosperity and cohesion of EU societies. ATHENA will base on these needs, priorities and previous works to provide new and better solutions for migrant women. ATHENA will improve services, policies and support on migrant women entrepreneurship by the development of common knowledge, capacity building, exchange of experiences, and developing activities with economic orientation but in which migrant women may interact, exchange and increase relations and contacts with the host country. The innovation added is to specifically target migrant women needs and provide a better environment for them, at the same time as contributing to EU economic growth and cohesion.