Reducing barriers to inclusive entrepreneurship, promoting innovation and providing equal opportunities for all

Key points

The EESC:

• calls for urgent and coordinated EU and national action to unlock the potential of inclusive entrepreneurship as an economic driver and a matter of equality, innovation and social justice;

• urges the Commission and Member States to embed inclusiveness in all entrepreneurship policies across sectors, with particular attention to the role of the social economy;

• recommends targeted funding and fairer financial tools for underrepresented founders – including persons with disabilities or mental health conditions, women in precarious situations, LGBTQIA+ people, migrants and communities facing ethnic or racial discrimination – to contribute their talents and foster innovation;

• stresses the need to integrate entrepreneurship into education curricula and provide accessible, tailored training and mentoring;

• calls on the Commission for stronger monitoring of equality legislation, adoption of the Horizontal Equal Treatment Directive and the application of intersectionality in the coming Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030;

• urges the Commission and Member States to simplify regulations and reduce administrative burdens, especially for vulnerable entrepreneurs;

• recommends that Member States should set up national focal points for self-employment support and cross-border recognition of disability and self-employment rights under the EU Disability Card;

• insists that all entrepreneurship initiatives apply Universal Design, accessibility, intersectionality and inclusivity as benchmarks for a fair, resilient and future-ready economy.