Workshop Advancing gender equality in rural areas in the EU - Report

The workshop, which took place in Andolsheim, France, aimed to raise awareness of the barriers and challenges faced by rural women regarding access to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, access to services and infrastructure, and representation and participation in decision-making processes. The meeting highlighted various policy and funding mechanisms available at EU and Member State level aiming to promote gender equality, as well as good projects examples, experiences and lessons learnt. Discussions and networking continued the following day with field visits.

The meeting enabled the exchange of experiences and approaches taken at EU, national, regional and local level to promote gender equality, challenges encountered and possible tools and solutions to overcome them.

Key conclusions included: the importance of creating (safe) spaces for women to meet and network; the importance of developing tailor-made approaches taking into account specific local situations; the need for strong top-down political commitment at EU and national level and for more data to inform policies.