The EP Women's Rights Committee at the European Parliament agreed in a resolution that in order to boost the number of women in decision-making positions to 30% by 2015 and to 40% by 2020, EU legislation is needed. In a separate resolution MEPs think that a better use could be made of the funding opportunities available for female entrepreneurs.

MEPs call on the Commission to propose legislation including quotas by 2012 for increasing female representation in corporate management bodies of enterprises. Moreover, the Commission is also asked to present a road map containing measurable and attainable targets to achieve balanced representation in firms of all sizes. The Commission presented its five-year strategy on this topic in 2010.

With regard to smaller companies, in the European Union, only one in ten women are entrepreneurs as opposed to one in for men. MEPs believe the Commission, Member States and regional and local authorities should make better use of the funding opportunities available to female entrepreneurs through special grants, venture capital, social security provisions and interest rate rebates. These include the European Progress Microfinance Facility, which provides micro-loans of up to €25,000 to micro-enterprises and to people who wish to start up their own business but who do not have access to traditional banking services, such as the unemployed.

According to the Committee, Member States should introduce special arrangements, such as childcare, care for the elderly and tax breaks for companies or other ways to help women and men in business to balance family and work commitments. Moreover, the EU entrepreneur exchange programme 'Erasmus for young entrepreneurs', which offers budding businesspeople the chance to work for up to six months with an experienced entrepreneur in another EU country, should be more widely promoted.

The both draft resolutions will be put to a plenary vote in July 2011.