When establishing and running a business, women face many problems in accessing finance and information, training, accessing networks for business purposes, and reconciling business and family concerns. In order to solve these problems and support female entrepreneurs, the EU implemented the Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan and set “highlighting opportunities for women” as an objective of this plan. Our project will contribute to solving these challenges. EU states that women constitute 52% of the total European population but only 34.4% of the EU self-employed and 30% of start-up entrepreneurs. Female creativity and entrepreneurial potential are not used efficiently and should be further developed. In 2012, only 29 % of active entrepreneurs were women in Europe (‘Statistical data on Women entrepreneurs in Europe’, September 2014). Unemployed and never employed Women rates are more or less the same in all over Europe. More than 50% of the potential female workforce (aged 25-49) in 2016 is inactive in Spain. In 2018, the share of women outside the labour market aged 25-54 ranged from 10.1% in Slovenia and to 32.6% in Italy. It is obvious that there is a sectoral need for this project and it needs to be carried out transnationally.

Findings of a new research report issued by Women’s World Banking shows that; there is an important opportunity in online business to increase women’s business growth and access to formal financial services. However, women should overcome well-documented barriers to digital inclusion. Because, e-commerce, social media, digital payment, delivery, and financial service companies are very competitive and women micro-entrepreneurs should be supported in order them to adopt and fully leverage digital platforms for their business, and to provide new financial services that help these entrepreneurs thrive.

The better they address the needs and aspirations of this segment, the more likely they will be to retain these customers and grow with the sector.

The project partnership is composed of very qualified organisations with long-standing experience in women entrepreneurship and represents all major European regions - Lithuania, Turkey, France, Croatia, Romania, and Italy.

Policies should be implemented to offer job opportunities and solutions to the problems experienced by women entrepreneurs and also women entrepreneurs need consultancy and guidance services in business development processes in order to improve their economic activities. In order to ensure women's entrepreneurs strengthen in e-commerce, mechanisms aiming to improve the economic activities of women in digital media such as websites, portals and applications should be established. They also need training programs and seminars for improving their e-commerce skills. Through wellorganized training provided through an e-commerce e-learning platform and a standardized set of e-commerce tools, this project will give its participants an opportunity to take part in labour force. This project will make a big difference for both direct participants of project activities and for the women entrepreneurs all over Europe.

The main objectives of this project are;

- Facilitating women’s access to information more easily with the use of E-Commerce Tools,

- Improving digital skills of women entrepreneurs regarding e-commerce through E-Commerce E-Learning Platform.

- Developing a training program dedicated to women entrepreneurs and offering training solutions according to their needs.

- Contributing women’s employment and thus giving them a better chance to reveal their potential.

- Certification of e-commerce skills of women entrepreneurs.