On 4 June, Carina Dantas, SHINE 2Europe’s CEO, was an expert and guest speaker at the public hearing ‘Reducing barriers to inclusive entrepreneurship, promoting innovation and providing equal opportunities for all’, organised by the Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in Brussels.
The event brought together experts, policy-makers and representatives of civil society to debate the main obstacles to inclusive entrepreneurship and propose concrete solutions to promote innovation and equal opportunities across Europe.
Carina Dantas’ speech was part of the second panel of the morning, dedicated to sharing good practices and experiences in promoting entrepreneurship among under-represented groups. SHINE 2Europe’s CEO presented ideas and practical experience on how it is possible to boost social innovation and inclusion through entrepreneurship – and how this inclusive entrepreneurship can bring societal and economic gains – illustrated with examples of four European projects that the organisation has worked on or is currently implementing – HERA, NewEcoSmart, SIRENE and Priority 45.
“It was an honour to represent SHINE 2Europe in this very relevant discussion alongside inspiring colleagues. We need more ambitious public policies and concrete actions on the ground to ensure that no one is left behind in the entrepreneurial practices and social change we so desperately need,” shared Carina.
The panel also included interventions from Carsten Lassen (CEO of Specialisterne Denmark), Timothy Ghilain (Deputy Secretary General of EASPD) and Melissa Rancourt (Founder of Greenlight for Girls), and was moderated by EESC member Milena Angelova.
During the morning, the first panel focused on analysing the European policy framework for inclusive entrepreneurship, with contributions from representatives of the European Commission and academia. Brigitte Fellahi-Brognaux (Head of the Social and Inclusive Entrepreneurship Unit at DG EMPL), Dana Adriana Puia Morel (Policy Officer and Internal Coach at DG GROW’s SME Unit), Horst Heitz (Executive Director of SME Europe) and Maria Elo (Professor of International Business and Entrepreneurship at the University of Southern Denmark) shared their perspectives on the current challenges and opportunities in this field. Among the main topics discussed were unequal access to funding, training, professional networks and information – issues that continue to disproportionately affect women, young people, migrants and people with disabilities.
SHINE 2Europe’s participation in this European forum reinforces its commitment to promoting more equitable communities and developing innovative solutions that meet the needs of all citizens.