Compose yourself, my dears. You are about to read a press release from the office of a great woman from a small country.
A great woman from a small country – and she’s put her own head on a plate already instead of waiting for others to do it.
From:MIZZIMarlene[mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: 26 September 2013 14:25
Subject: PRESS RELEASE FROM THE OFFICE OF MARLENE MIZZI MEP – Marlene Mizzi urges women to unleash their entrepreneurial potential
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE OFFICE OF MARLENE MIZZI MEP
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PHOTO ATTACHED
Marlene Mizzi urges women to unleash their entrepreneurial potential
Introduced to the audience as ´a great woman from a small country`
Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi has today participated in a high level lunch debate at the European Parliament on the importance of promoting women entrepreneurship in times of crisis. This debate, hosted by Spanish MEP Teresa Jimenez-Becerill, is one of a series of debates which have been held in the European focusing on the role of women in the world of business. The key note speaker of this debate was Vice President of the EU Commission and Commissioner of Justice, Viviane Reding.
Marlene Mizzi, who was introduced to the audience as “a great woman from a small country” was invited to address the audience. She spoke about the importance of encouraging more women to venture into entrepreneurship and the advantages of financial independence, while highlighting the difficulties which some women find to start their own businesses. She urged women not to underestimate their potential.
Mizzi invited Commission Reding, that when drafting legislation, she remembers that women entrepreneurs are also employers, and legislation must not over-burden businesses with compliance costs involved with the employment of women ,as this can back fire on women themselves.
The debate was also addressed by Commissioner Reding. In her remarks Commissioner Reding acknowledged the difficulties which women encounter when venturing into starting their own businesses and highlighted the Commission’s endeavours to ease these burdens through suitable legislation.
Female entrepreneurship is important to the European Union for both gender equality and economic growth. Yet, while the gender gap in the labour market is rapidly decreasing, the gender gap in entrepreneurship is still wide.
Self-employed women make up only 31% of the total number of self-employed people in Europe and only 10% of the total female workforce. Moreover, women have the tendency to start businesses in less innovative and risk averse areas. Malta has one of the lowest rates in Europe with regards to female entrepreneurship with less than 5% of the female workforce identifying themselves as self-employed.
Marlene Mizzi concluded: “This was a very interesting and well-attended discussion which allowed us to better understand the problems faced by women when trying to open up their own business. Many a times, women face additional hurdles in their entrepreneurial career, so we must ensure that such barriers are eliminated”.
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“Marlene Mizzi concluded: “This was a very interesting and well-attended discussion which allowed us to better understand the problems faced by women when trying to open up their own business. Many a times, women face additional hurdles in their entrepreneurial career, so we must ensure that such barriers are eliminated”.”
From this press release, I could gather a few statistics which were presented by Mrs. Reding, but I couldn’t understand what was Marlene Mizzi’s contribution and far less what are the “problems faced by women when trying to open up their business.” This is the problem I see with Labour – there is no substance.
All of us encounter problems when setting up and managing our own business.
You can be good or bad or indifferent at business and it has nothing to do with your gender. Mrs Mizzi should stop speaking as though all women are the same, all men are the same, and women need special protection because they’re helpless and inferior.
She’s out of date.
There you go, Komissar Reding. The war against men “can back fire on women themselves”.
It’s the usual rhetoric chatter but what is fascinating about it is the incredibly atrocious English it’s written in. My favourite bit must be “Mizzi invited Commission Reding, that when drafting legislation, she remembers that women entrepreneurs are also employers . .”
No, really, why bother sending one’s children to school if “many a times” even a barely-literate fool can become an MEP?
More “high level” events.
At least, John the Baptist head finished on a plate not because he put it there himself but because Herod was forced to do it by Herodias and Salome.
I find it very offensive that adjectives are given to one’s country when being introduced in a debate.
Malta’s pathetic version of Liliane Bettencourt.
Marlene Mizzi MEP should have told the participants in the debate the advantages of women entrepreneurs married to a magistrate with a state-funded car and chauffeur that can be used as a free delivery vehicle + driver.