Z. whereas not enough people follow through on their ideas to set up a business, and there are, disproportionately, even fewer female than male entrepreneurs (even more so in case of women coming from vulnerable social groups and facing double discrimination), and, whilst women entrepreneurs are on average higher educated than male entrepreneurs, they are also more often active in less innovative, less fast-growing sectors, with smaller companies than those of male entrepreneurs; whereas ways to overcome the factors which particularly discourage women from taking up, or benefiting more from, the option of entrepreneurship must be activ ...[+++]ely promoted ;

Z. whereas not enough people follow through on their ideas to set up a business, and there are, disproportionately, even fewer female than male entrepreneurs (even more so in case of women coming from vulnerable social groups and facing double discrimination), and, whilst women entrepreneurs are on average higher educated than male entrepreneurs, they are also more often active in less innovative, less fast-growing sectors, with smaller companies than those of male entrepreneurs; whereas ways to overcome the factors which particularly discourage women from taking up, or benefiting more from, the option of entrepreneurship must be active ...[+++]ly promoted;

Only 2. 3% of people with less than upper secondary education participate in education and training, compared with 9.9% of those who had completed upper secondary education, and 15.8% of those who had completed upper tertiary education.

These regions may be classed as: (a) industrial areas (8.5%) with unemployment rates higher than the Community average, with industrial employment greater than the Community average and in steady decline, (b) rural areas (5.2%) with a population density of fewer than 100 inhabitants per square kilometre, with an employment rate in the rural sector more than double the Community average, with an unemployment rate higher than the Community average and with a steadily declining population, (c) urban areas (1.9%) with long-term unemployment greater than the Community average, with a high level of poverty, with a particularly damaged social environment, with a high crime rate, with low educational performance, ...[+++](d) fisheries areas (0.3%), (e) mixed areas (2.1%).

To mention only two of them: a pay gap estimated at 16% and an employment rate of females aged between 15 and 24 that is stagnant, despite women in this age group being educated to a higher level.

Compared with the data for 1999, the proportion of the population with a low level of education fell from 33% to 31.5%, while the middle and higher levels rose respectively from 47.6% to 48.3% and from 19.4% to 20.2% (Mmaps 10 a, b and c with the levels of education, in 2000).