The European Union's Council of Ministers has given its approval to a proposed Work Life Balance directive, of which Maltese MEP David Casa was one of the main negotiators.

The final remaining phases for the directive to become law are votes in the European Parliament, first in the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs followed by a vote in the plenary, possibly in March.

Mr Casa hailed Wednesday morning's approval.

“We are demonstrating that it is possible to succeed in enacting ambitious laws that address social issues at EU level. Exploiting our full economic potential requires policies and laws that reflect the reality of our societies. It means ensuring that workers are given every opportunity to reach their full potential. The new Work Life Balance Directive will play an important role in reaching these objectives across Europe, and especially in Malta.”

The directive will introduce 10 days of paid leave for fathers upon the birth of a new child, two months of paid leave for each parent that can be used until the child is eight years old, the introduction of five days of annual carer’s leave for workers to care for sick relatives, and the right for employees to request flexible working arrangements.

The Malta Business Bureau, the Malta Chamber and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association earlier this month said that while they agreed with work-life balance initiatives, these should not increase the cost burden on companies that would otherwise impact their competitiveness and ability to create more jobs.