Casa seeks EU deal on law to give Maltese dads 10 days of paid paternity leave

The Nationalist MEP David Casa this week had his mandate to enter into negotiations on the EU’s Work-Life Balance Directive confirmed in Strasbourg by MEPs.

Negotiations with the Council have now started for a law that, in Malta, would see the introduction of ten days of paid leave for fathers at the time of the birth of a child and give each parent the possibility to spend more time with their children until the child reaches a certain age.

Casa, the Head of the Maltese EPP Group delegation, said: “This proposed legislation aims to close the gender-pay and gender-employment gaps by encouraging a better sharing of caring responsibilities between men and women.”

The Maltese MEP will now lead a European Parliament negotiating team in discussions with the Council and the European Commission. Negotiations are expected to take a number of months, with the hope that they are concluded before the end of this legislature in May next year.

“A great deal of my work has focused on ensuring that SMEs and micro enterprises are not unnecessarily stifled by the introduction of this law. I will continue to insist that there should be minimum periods of service before an employee can request parental leave and that employers can postpone the taking of leave when this will disrupt the proper functioning of their business”.

The first round of negotiations took place in Strasbourg this week. The European Commission was represented by Commissioner Marianne Thyssen and Commisioner Vera Jourova.