The largest European initiative, New Opportunities for Women under the European Social Fund, targets women's groups and organizations promoting equal opportunity for women. NOW's budget between 1994 and 1999 amounted to 900 million euros, of which the European Union contributed almost 500 million euros. During the four years the program assisted approximately 1,500 projects in member countries. The money is used for local projects that stimulate entrepreneurship and employment creation for women. Some of the beneficiaries of NOW include the WeiberWirtschaft co-op and the Creative Space Collective in Galway, Ireland, which provides training and aid for rural women starting businesses.
Women entrepreneurs as a hot area to stimulate the economy.
It designates an opportunity to be exploited in these countries. It might be easier to change the attitudes of women towards entrepreneurship than to change the mindset of a whole culture. We would like to see more of a level like in the United States. One program supported by a separate EU initiative, the European Network of Resource Centres for Women, along with the municipality of Copparo, is the Palazzo del Tessile in Copparo near Bologna. The region specializes in producing textiles for the fashion industry, and the Palazzo del Tessile has been created to house small textile companies managed by women.