Maltese working mothers may soon be able to benefit from a four-week extension to the 14-week paid maternity leave.

A new proposal in this direction is expected to be made by Brussels in three weeks' time when the European Commission unveils a set of new draft rules.

The entitlement of maternity leave in the EU varies from one country to the other. Malta grants the minimum established under EU rules, 14 weeks, the same as Germany and the UK. Others give pregnant mothers longer leave. The most generous are the Nordic member states, known for their open-handed social systems, with Sweden allowing its new mothers to get a fully paid year of maternity leave. The Czech Republic and Slovakia allow 28 weeks.

According to the Commission's proposal, which is still to be approved by the College of Commissioners, longer leave would have a positive impact on the mother's health and will also provide more incentives so that families can get bigger. Europe is facing an aging crisis with people living longer while births are falling.

Commission sources told The Times that, apart from boosting the minimum maternity leave entitlements, the plan also seeks to improve the rights enjoyed by mothers.

"We want additional leave to be granted over and above the minimum to those with special circumstances like premature childbirth, child hospitalisation at birth, children with disabilities and multiple births," the sources said.

The Commission will also be seeking to boost mothers' protection against abuse by employers by giving them the right to return to the same job, or an equivalent one, under the same terms and conditions within one year of the end of the maternity leave.

Although deemed as generally positive, it will not be easy for member states to give the green light particularly due to opposition by employers in view of the financial implications related to the four-week increase.

However, the Commission sources said they are confident that, at the end of the day, together with pressure from the European Parliament, the new proposals will "go through".