Brussels, 10 December 2025 – The Council of Chambers of Commerce of the Valencian Community and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce’s Delegation to the European Union held, on 9 and 10 December, the programme “From Valencia to Europe: Women Who Connect,” an initiative aimed at bringing 33 businesswomen from the Chambers of Alcoy, Alicante, Castellón, Orihuela, and Valencia closer to European institutions and facilitating their participation in EU-level debates on equality, entrepreneurship, and female leadership.
The event took place within the framework of a Sponsored Visit Group organised by the European Parliament. In this case, the sponsorship was promoted by Members of the European Parliament from the Group of Socialists and Democrats, Leire Pajín and Sandra Gómez, who supported this mission focused on strengthening female leadership within the Valencian business community.
The mission began with a visit to the Hemicycle, where the participants were received by Members of the European Parliament Leire Pajín, Sandra Gómez, and José Cepeda, who provided a detailed overview of the current European context, explaining the main challenges and priorities shaping the EU agenda.
At the premises of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce’s Delegation to the EU, participants attended the session “Support Networks and Female Mentoring: Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs,” delivered by Laura Velasco and Greta Bilanzola from Eurochambres. During the session, the speakers presented the work of Eurochambres and its women’s network (Eurochambres Women Network), explaining its platform and main areas of activity. They also provided a clear overview of the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme, detailing participation criteria and its positive impact on the entrepreneurial ecosystem. In addition, they discussed other relevant support networks for women entrepreneurs, such as the Enterprise Europe Network.
To conclude the first day, Leticia Casañ, Delegate of the Valencian Community in Brussels, shared insights into the work carried out by the delegation and highlighted the importance of bringing SMEs closer to European affairs, facilitating their active participation in EU opportunities and policies.
The second day began with a breakfast debate with Leire Pajín and Sandra Gómez. The discussion focused on pending agreements with Mexico and, in particular, with Mercosur, as well as the EU’s commitment to the Global Gateway initiative. They also emphasized the importance of energy transformation based on innovation and intellectual property, and the need to strengthen competitiveness and defence in the future Multiannual Financial Framework 2028–2034.
This was followed by the roundtable “Beyond Parity: Female Leadership in the European Agenda,” with the participation of Sonia Vila Núñez, expert in the cabinet of the Commissioner for Social Rights, and María José Tarrero Martos, Counsellor for Labour, Migration and Social Security at the Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU (REPER). Both outlined the role of their respective institutions in promoting social rights and defending Spanish interests at the EU level, and highlighted challenges such as the gender pay gap, the limited presence of women in leadership positions, and the need to mainstream a gender perspective across all European policies.
After a visit to the Parlamentarium, the programme concluded with a lunch debate on “Access to Finance: Gender Finance Lab,” delivered by Carmen Vera, Senior Advisor at the European Investment Bank. The session examined European financial instruments aimed at reducing the gap in access to capital for women entrepreneurs and women-led businesses, as well as new opportunities offered by gender-lens investing.