All member states, bar Belgium and Portugal, have opposed European Commission plans to extend maternity leave by an extra six weeks, ruling out any possible compromise on this issue.

During a recent debate at the EU’s Employment and Social Affairs Council in Luxembourg on this proposal’s state of play, Malta was among those to oppose plans to boost fully paid maternity leave to up to 20 weeks. It said the proposal would imply a heavy financial burden and reiterated that the current economic climate in Europe was inappropriate for such a measure.

Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said, who represented Malta at the meeting, said while Malta was not against proceeding with discussions aimed at introducing health and safety measures for pregnant women, the European Parliament’s proposal to increase maternity leave and introduce two weeks’ paternity leave was not acceptable.

Last December, when the proposal was first discussed, Malta had made it clear it did not support the dossier and had called it “premature”.

Although Malta kept the door ajar for further possible progress, some member states, particularly the UK and the Czech Republic, called on the Commission to completely withdraw the proposal. Others, like Germany and France, made it clear they were not prepared to even discuss the issue with MEPs.

Sources close to the Council told The Times that despite the Hungarian Presidency’s efforts to makes some progress on this issue in the past six months, this was almost impossible as opposition was stiff across the board.

“With almost all member states opposing, the proposal is now definitely dead in the water,” the sources said.

The proposals date back to 2008 when the Commission put foward amendments to the 1992 directive on health and safety of pregnant women, raising the minimum threshold of maternity leave to 18 weeks from 14.

The proposal became more objectionable to member states when the EP further amended it to 20 weeks on full pay and introduced the two-week paternity leave concept.

Businesses in Malta had vehemently opposed the EP’s suggestions and lobbied the government to reject the proposal. According to an impact study by the Maltese Business Bureau, increasing maternity leave to 20 weeks would cost the economy €12 million a year.

However, unions and the Labour Party had backed the EP’s position.

At the moment Maltese women can take 14 weeks maternity leave, the EU threshold, and be paid their full salary.

Some member states provide more than that, even up to a year in certain cases. However, the level of pay varies from a percentage of the full pay to unpaid leave.

The proposal requires the green light from the EP and the EU Council to become law.