Nationalist MEP David Casa has been tasked with formulating the European Parliament’s position on the Work-Life Balance Directive.

The decision was announced during an EPP Group meeting at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

“The objective of the proposed legislation is to extend existing rights for working parents and carers. This should have the effect of combatting the discrimination of women in the labour market through better sharing of carer responsibilities among men and women. Concretely, the directive seeks to introduce minimum periods of paternal leave around the time of the birth of a child, provide each parent with non-transferable periods of parental leave until the child is 12 years old and increase the possibility of flexible working arrangements”, explained Mr Casa.

In 2015, the employment rate of women in the EU reached 64.3%, compared to 75.9% of men. The gender employment gap is most acute in relation to parents and persons that have other caring responsibilities.

According to figures released this year, in Malta, the employment gender gap remains the largest in the EU with 83.1% of men in employment compared to 55.5% of women.

Mr Casa said one of the main causes of this situation was inadequate work-life balance policy. Leave entitlement was not designed in a balanced manner in relation to different genders. Incentives for men to take leave to care for children or dependents were inadequate. In addition, the use of flexible working arrangements was limited. These factors had been shown to increase the employment challenges faced by women.

Mr Casa will be holding meetings with stakeholders in Malta and at EU level in the coming weeks that will factor into his work on his dossier.He will be  representing the European Parliament in negotiations with the Council of Ministers. The dossier falls under the EU’s co-decision legislative procedure and requires agreement between the European Parliament and the Council to become law.

David Casa is the EPP Coordinator on the Committee for Employment and Social Affairs.

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