Some parents have more rights than others across Europe, and MEPs want to change that. Maternity leave looks set to increase, but crucially there is no consensus on how much women should be paid or which entitlements fathers should receive. EPTV gets opin

Crossborder: Reforming maternity leave

A mother is always a mother,   wherever she is,

but working mothers have   different rights in Europe.

The standards for maternity leave   in Europe were set 18 years ago,

but the Parliament thinks   it's time to reform them.

But how long should maternity leave last?

We'll put these questions   to our guests today.

I'm pleased to welcome Mrs Edite Estrela,   a Portuguese Socialist MEP,

and rapporteur on the reform   of maternity leave;

Mrs Anna Záborská,   a Slovak MEP in the EPP,

who speaks for the centre right   on this subject;

and Mrs Danièle Meulders,   Professor of Applied Economics

Currently, the European minimum   is set at 14 weeks -

that's not enough for the Commission   and some MEPs.

But how long should   maternity leave last?

Let's now look at the example of Belgium,

which gives women 15 weeks off   on decreasing pay.

With the arrival of a baby,   your whole life must be reorganised.

Judith is a temp in the council offices   of a municipality of Brussels.

For her maternity leave   she had four months off.

She took the three months allowed in   Belgium and one month of paid holiday.

I think six months is a minimum, just so   that you can breastfeed completely,

and the ideal would be to be able to   go back to work on a part-time basis.

Little Léon managed to get a place   in a local crèche.

Francophone Belgium   meets European standards.

One in three children is entitled   to a place in a state or private crèche.

We were lucky,   some people can't find one

and have to go to   very expensive private crèches.

In Belgium, employees receive 15 weeks'   maternity leave on decreasing pay.

That's one week more than the minimum   set in the European directive.

Germany and Malta have shorter periods:   14 weeks on full salary.

But Denmark and the UK   are more generous: 52 weeks.

It offers up to 96 weeks   to be shared between the two parents.

the priority is to guarantee a full salary   for mothers during their leave.

There is no justification for them   being paid less on maternity leave,

since they're paying into the social   security system, as in Belgium.

While her partner finished his training,   Judith went back to full-time work.

The young household   didn't have a choice.

Cédric would have liked to spend   more time with his child.

I'd like more parental leave   to be granted to the father as well,

because I think that legally it's one week.

So compared to the mother   it's really not equal.

Currently there are no European   standards for paternity leave.

Each country is free to legislate   as it chooses.

The European Commission   is proposing 18 weeks.

The World Health Organisation proposes   24 weeks to continue breastfeeding.

that have 18 weeks   in their national legislation,

because it's more difficult for women   to come back into the labour market,

and 20 weeks is also recommended by   international institutions,

like the International Labour Organization.

We have a debate in our political group.

It's between 16 weeks,   plus 4 weeks in exceptional cases,

in the case of breastfeeding   or something else,

or 18 weeks, but we can agree   to 20 weeks in certain circumstances.

I know that 24 weeks is ideal for women,

and we see that several Member States   already offer much longer than 24 weeks.

But we must really look at the question   of time to allow women to breastfeed.

If a woman breastfeeds for   over five months, she must be able to.

So 20 weeks is a good compromise?   - Yes.

Professor Meulders,   can an overlong absence from work

be negative for women   when they go back to work?

Absolutely. If the goal is   equality in the labour market

or if the goal is equality in the sharing   of parental responsibility for children,

we shouldn't change   the length of maternity leave.

That's fairly provocative, but I do say,   all other things being equal.

If men and women take six months' leave   - maternity or paternity or co-maternity -

there is no problem with discriminatory   effects in the labour market.

If we persist, as Europe has done,   in lengthening parental leave,

we know that parental leave   is taken by women,

especially since the rights weren't   made individual in the directive,

and we know that   we're marking women once again.

Instead of looking at the length,   shouldn't we be investing in crèches

or help in the case of a child's illness?

between the mother and the father,   then I defend that -

for the father to have paternity leave   and share responsibility for the child.

I think that crèches shouldn't be relied on   until the age of six months,

because we need to look at the studies -

we need to look at   how the child's personality develops

when they're with their parents   and when they're in other organisations.

Feminists want maternity leave   to be paid at 100% of salary.

how much to pay mothers   during their leave?