The European Patronage of Business Women - a new impetus for female entrepreneurship

Women represent only 40% of the entrepreneurs in our country and, through the lens of gender equality, that percentage should increase, stated yesterday the participants at the launch of the European Patronage of Business Women (PEFA), an event that took place at the Victoria Palace and which also included the debate "Gender equality. Agenda 2030".

At the opening of the event, Andreea Negru, the president of PEFA, stated: "PEFA is an organization that will act, we say, as an agent of change at a particularly important moment in which we are committed to working together, supporting and promoting equality gender Gender equality is not a fad, it is a reality. The European Patronage of Business Women focuses primarily on the exchange of ideas, experiences and best practices between similar organizations at the level of the European Union. We have the full opportunity to change the economic landscape, to promote a culture of inclusion in the business environment, but also in society. What do we propose to do? Well, we will work together with you, representatives of public authorities, the business environment, non-governmental organizations, representatives of the media and all stakeholders to create an enabling business environment to promote gender equality, the role and the importance of women in society. Together for a modern society, we develop partnerships with similar organizations from member states of the European Union".

His Majesty also presented the most important actions that the new patronage will carry out during 2024. The first will take place on March 21 at the National Bank of Romania and will be a debate on economic trends for the current year.

Andreea Negru stated: Basically, we want to make an x-ray of the main sectors of the economy together. We are talking about macroeconomics, energy and business, the entrepreneurial environment. Together with professionals from these fields and with representatives of the business environment, government representatives, we want to make an x-ray of the Romanian economy, outline the trends, but also the expectations of the business environment for this year. Another project is the "Romania of the future" debate. Sustainable development between trend and necessity». This debate will take place on May 22, at the Academy of Economic Studies and represents a practical partnership with the business environment, between the business environment and the academic environment. On this occasion, together with the academic environment, we will launch the first book from the "PEFA de business" collection. It is about «Strategic Thinking» - decision-making techniques for the success of a business in five steps".

Regarding female entrepreneurship in our country, Florin Jianu, the president of the National Council of Small and Medium Private Enterprises in Romania (CNIPMMR), an employers' confederation of which PEFA is also a member, said that at the national level four out of ten entrepreneurs are female female and only one third of managers are women.

Florin Jianu stated: "In terms of the women who lead the companies listed on the Stock Exchange, we are in first place at the European level, which is an extraordinary thing, with an average of 31.6%, the European average being 20%. At the level of the entire economy, 33.2% of managers are women in Romania, a percentage close to what happens at the European level, i.e. 35% with a higher percentage than in countries with tradition: Germany has 29%, Italy 28% and Netherlands 26%. These data are official, from Eurostat. One thing that I really liked and from which we can draw conclusions is the fact that, although the investments in the companies led by women are lower than the investments in the companies led by men, still their turnover and profit is higher. So, you put some money in a company run by a gentleman, you expect weaker results, so you better go where it matters and where it's worth putting the money."

According to the data cited by the president of CNIPMRR, four out of ten entrepreneurs (38.4%) in Romania are female. In this margin, the best representation is registered in the Center region (44.5%), followed by the Bucharest-Ilfov region (44%). A lower presence of female entrepreneurs is recorded in the West region, with 31.9%, as a total average.

Florin Jianu also said: "If we refer again to the statistics of the previous years 2023, 2022, 2021, in terms of entrepreneurial initiative, we notice a rather steep drop in the positive increase of companies: three years ago to 36,000, now 2 years somewhere around 24,000 and last year a positive increase of only 21,000 companies. This positive increase is calculated as the difference between the number of companies that are established and the number of companies that close. Here, I think you have a role with us, with the Government, with the representatives of the administration, with the representatives of the Parliament, to continue the programs for businesswomen, programs for young entrepreneurs, initiatives from European funds".

In connection with the appearance of PEFA, the president of CNIPMMR showed: "The European Patronage of Business Women is extremely necessary in this landscape of the representation of the business environment and especially of a correct, fair and professional representation. I looked at some statistics about highly active female entrepreneurship and also asked ChatGPT what female entrepreneurship will look like in 2050 and he assured me that gender equality will be achieved in the coming years, that representation will increasingly more serious. The fact that we have these points like gender equality on the European and global agenda will ensure a fair representation of businesswomen".

Natalia Intotero, Minister of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities, said: "Romania has taken important steps in the field of equal opportunities, but we still have many steps to take. The launch of PEFA is an opportunity to encourage as many women as possible in Romania to dare. Your role and ours is to work to change mindsets. It is our duty to do more, because it is a necessity. (...) We want you to be our partners in the working group that tries to bring the best solutions in the family law project".

Secretary of State Roxana Mînzatu, coordinator of the Department for Integrated Evaluation and Monitoring of Programs Financed from Public and European Funds, stated that she wants to see the listing on the stock market of a unicorn coming from female entrepreneurship, while Daniel Suciu, the vice-president of the Chamber of Deputies , said that he wants to see more women in politics, to run for eligible positions in the local, county public administration and for the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.

Daniel Suciu's idea was continued by Alexandru Ghigiu, head of the Chancellery of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who said: "I would like to see women more involved in politics because the value they bring would be very great. I am telling you that you have a discussion partner in the current Government, whom you can pull by the sleeve when he is wrong, a partner who looks for solutions so as not to get too involved in your activity. We need to create trust between the state and the private sector because too often the state sees the private sector as ready to circumvent legislation and the private sector sees the state as too bureaucratic. That's why trust is needed between the two partners".

In a video message sent online, Ramona Chiriac, the head of the European Commission Representation in our country, mentioned that, although they represent more than half of the world's population, many women still do not have a place at the decision-making table and emphasized the need for their involvement in public life.

Anna Akhalkatsi, country manager of the World Bank for Romania, stated that the launch of PEFA means the launch of the change of the gender agenda in Romania and said that female entrepreneurship represents an opportunity for the employment of women, knowing that only 42% of women in our country have a job. The representative of the World Bank stated that the involvement of women in entrepreneurship results in an increase of the Gross Domestic Product by almost 9% and concluded by saying that women are the most important resource for the development of the country and for the labor market.