Brussels, 07/05/2015 (Agence Europe) - The committee on women's rights and gender equality has urged the Council of Ministers to resume negotiations on maternity leave.
In a report adopted on Wednesday 6 May, the FEM committee regrets the fact that the European Commission is planning to withdraw the proposal it made in 2008, which has been at stalemate since then due to a lack of consensus among the member states.
“We should try to improve the situation of women who are pregnant and breastfeeding, they need to be protected. We are calling on the European Commission and the Council to assume their responsibility”, stressed the rapporteur, Maria Arena (S&D, Belgium). The Commission must play its role of an “honest broker” and undertake to reconcile the different positions of the Council and the Parliament, the MEPs argue. They add that if the Commission ultimately decides to withdraw its proposal, it should submit another text as soon as possible, under the Luxembourg Presidency. (Isabelle Lamberty)