Inclusive Entrepreneurship in Romania in the Context of European Union: Theoretical Issues and Emerging Challenges

The need for inclusive entrepreneurship support has its roots in the current context of economic crisis. The inclusive entrepreneurship concept, launched by OECD, is based on a mix approach focusing on entrepreneurship and self-employment, securing the labour market and reducing social exclusion. In the context of today's European Union (EU), groups at risk and uncertainty compared to employment are, especially: youth, women, seniors and ethnic minorities, their entrepreneurship and self-employment being considered under-explored and with high potential for creating jobs and reducing unemployment. The article examines theoretical background of inclusive entrepreneurship and provides an analysis of the need for inclusive entrepreneurship support in Romania based on the labour market, self-employment and entrepreneurship context. The article concludes that situation is partially different in Romania compared to EU general context, especially from the perspective of "gender gap" and "age gap" in entrepreneurship and self-employment.