Brussels, 11/12/2014 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is keeping up the pressure to ensure that the co-legislators unblock the situation regarding maternity leave. If no solution is found, the Commission will withdraw its draft directive. Ironically, the Council is expecting “a step” to be made by the European Parliament, to prove its flexibility on the question of standard maternity leave in Europe. The Italian Presidency submitted an uncompromising progress report on the issue during the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council on Thursday 11 December.
The draft directive has been blocked at the Council for more than four years and the Italian Presidency has said in its progress report that the European Parliament's expectations were “unrealistic”. The Parliament adopted a negotiating brief back in 2010 on paid maternity leave of 20 weeks throughout Europe (as opposed to the 18 weeks in the Commission proposal). The Council finds this, “completely unacceptable” and an unrealistic basis for discussion in the context of economic crisis, points out the Italian Presidency. Although the European ministers have been blocking the subject since 2010 and have not discussed the subject again since 2012, the Presidency is recommending, however, that the European Parliament make the first step to provide an “acceptable” basis for negotiating.
Giuliano Poletti, the Italian minister for labour and social policies, highlighted the differing views persisting at the Council both on the form and substance. He highlighted that there was limited room for manoeuvre if they were going to reach an outcome on this legislative draft. He also underlined the threat of the proposal being withdrawn by the Commission (as part of the initiative to scale down legislation).
The Commission does not appear willing to reduce the pressure and European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Vera Jourova informed ministers that if there is “no concrete sign of progress, and for the instant, it is this scenario that appears to be taking shape, the Commission will apply REFIT and withdraw its proposal”. According to the Jourova, the only concrete means of proceeding with this draft legislation is to get the co-legislators to “begin negotiations worthy of the name”. (MD)