Follow-up to Written Question on gender perspective in EFSI

Question for written answer
to the Commission
Rule 130
Alfred Sant (S&D)

E-003780-17
Subject: Follow-up to Written Question on gender perspective in EFSI

The European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) contributes to the promotion of means of financing for female entrepreneurship. It has been demonstrated that, along with other EU programmes, EFSI takes into account a gender perspective. In its reply to Written Question E-001825/2017, the Commission said in this connection that ‘gender equality is also mainstreamed into the EU programmes for example, through access to finance for female entrepreneurs under COSME or the EaSI programme, which has an explicit focus on women’s access to employment and financial services’.
While there is an established link through the European Investment Fund and the EIB between the COSME programme and EFSI, and while EFSI resources are used directly in the deployment of COSME, EaSI targets social enterprises and supports social service providers that would not currently appear to be covered under EFSI. What are the tangible connections between the EaSI programme and EFSI? How does a programme like EaSI impact gender equality mainstreaming within EFSI?
Answer given by Vice-President Katainen on behalf of the Commission
Promoting gender equality and combating discrimination are explicit objectives of the Employment and Social Innovation programme (EaSI) financial instruments for access to microfinance and social entrepreneurship.
The support and progress towards female entrepreneurship inclusion through both financial services and the provision of coaching and mentorship for women-led businesses is actively monitored by the Commission. The Commission regularly publishes success stories of EaSi. On 22 June 2017, the Commission published its sixth monitoring report in which it reviewed 18 projects in the fields of social protection and inclusion, employment, working conditions and European job mobility.(1)
The predecessor European Progress Microfinance Facility already achieved promising results, with loans to female entrepreneurs representing close to 40% of portfolios, exceeding 50% for some intermediaries.
The European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) is reinforcing the capacity of a number of EaSI facilities for microfinance and social entrepreneurship. In a similar fashion to the EU programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (COSME) and the EU Finance for Innovators programme (InnovFin) Facilities, EFSI resources are deployed in the implementation of the EaSI Capped Guarantee Facility, effectively doubling its investment capacity and its outreach to target groups.
The first EFSI/EaSI transactions(2) were signed in the first quarter of 2017.

Suġġett: Segwitu għal Mistoqsija bil-Miktub dwar il-perspettiva tal-ugwaljanza bejn is-sessi fil-FEIS

Il-Fond Ewropew għall-Investimenti Strateġiċi (FEIS) jikkontribwixxi għall-promozzjoni ta’ mezzi ta’ finanzjament għall-imprenditorija femminili. Intwera li, flimkien ma’ programmi oħrajn tal-UE, il-FEIS iqis il-perspettiva tal-ugwaljanza bejn is-sessi. Fit-tweġiba tagħha għall-Mistoqsija bil-Miktub E-001825/2017, il-Kummissjoni stqarret b’rabta ma’ dan li “l-ugwaljanza bejn is-sessi hija integrata wkoll fil-programmi tal-UE, pereżempju, permezz tal-aċċess għal finanzjament għal imprendituri nisa taħt COSME jew il-programm EaSI, li għandu enfasi espliċitu fuq l-aċċess tan-nisa għal servizzi ta’ impjieg u dawk finanzjarji”.
Filwaqt li hemm rabta stabbilita permezz tal-Fond Ewropew għall-Investiment u l-BEI bejn il-programm COSME u l-FEIS, u filwaqt li r-riżorsi tal-FEIS huma użati direttament fl-użu tal-COSME, l-EaSI jimmira intrapriżi soċjali u jappoġġa fornituri tas-servizzi soċjali li attwalment ma jidhrux li huma koperti mill-FEIS. X’inhuma r-rabtiet tanġibbli bejn il-programm EaSI u l-FEIS? Kif programm bħall-EaSI jħalli impatt fuq l-integrazzjoni tal-ugwaljanza bejn is-sessi fi ħdan il-FEIS?
MT E-003780/2017 Tweġiba mogħtija mill-Viċi President Katainen (12.9.2017)
Il-promozzjoni tal-ugwaljanza bejn is-sessi u l-ġlieda kontra d-diskriminazzjoni huma objettivi speċifiċi tal-istrumenti finanzjarji tal-programm tal-Unjoni Ewropea għall-Impjiegi u l-Innovazzjoni Soċjali (Employment and Social Innovation, EaSI) għall-aċċess għall-mikrofinanzjament u l-intraprenditorija soċjali. L-appoġġ u l-progress lejn l-inklużjoni tal-intraprenditorija femminili permezz kemm tas-servizzi finanzjarji u kemm il-provvediment ta’ kkowċjar u konsulenza għal negozji mmexxija min-nisa huma sorveljati b’mod attiv mill-Kummissjoni. Il-Kummissjoni regolarment tippubblika stejjer ta’ suċċess tal-EaSI. Fit-22 ta’ Ġunju 2017, il-Kummissjoni ppubblikat is-sitt rapport ta’ monitoraġġ li fih hija analizzat 18-il proġett fl-oqsma tal-protezzjoni u l-inklużjoni soċjali, l-impjiegi, il-kundizzjonijiet tax-xogħol u l-mobilità tax-xogħol .

Il-predeċessur, il-Faċilità Ewropea ta’ Progress fil-Mikrofinanzjament diġà kisbet riżultati promettenti, b’self lil intraprendituri nisa, li jirrappreżentaw qrib l-40 % tal-portafolli, aktar minn 50 % għal xi intermedjarji.

Il-Fond Ewropew għal Investimenti Strateġiċi (FEIS) qed isaħħaħ il-kapaċità ta’ għadd ta’ faċilitajiet tal-EaSI għall-mikrofinanzjament u l-intraprenditorija soċjali. B’mod simili għall-programm tal-UE għall-Kompetittività tal-Intrapriżi u l-Intrapriżi Żgħar u Medji (Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, COSME) u u l-programm ta’ Faċilitajiet ta’ Finanzjament tal-UE għall-Innovaturi (InnovFin), ir-riżorsi tal-EFSI huma skjerati fl-implimentazzjoni tal-Faċilità ta’ Garanzija b’Limitu Massimu tal-EaSI, biex b’hekk effettivament irdoppjaw l-kapaċità tagħha ta’ investiment u l-komunikazzjoni tagħha ma’ gruppi fil-mira. L-ewwel tranżazzjonijiet tal-FEIS / EaSI kienu ffirmati fl-ewwel kwart tal-2017.