Dear EWL Members,
The European Commission has started a consultation on possible new EU measures in the area of paternity leave.
We would like to gather your responses in order to submit a contribution to the Commission. Please consider the questions below, and answer to Ilaria (volpe@womenlobby.org) before 17 January 2011.
A. Existing paternity leave measures
1. What are, in your view, the main benefits and costs of providing paternity leave, covering all possible aspects (e.g. costs: direct costs to the government and/or employers, costs from productivity loss, administrative costs, costs for SMEs; benefits: increases in female employment rates, less labour market discrimination and segregation, improved child health, higher fertility rates)? Please provide any data or evidence to support your view where possible.
2. What is, in your view, the added value of paternity leave, compared to other forms of family-related leave (parental leave, maternity leave)?
3. Which measures have been the most successful in encouraging fathers to take up parental or paternity leave? Why? Please provide any data or evidence to support your view where possible.
B. Possible EU initiative on paternity leave
4. Do you see a need for an EU initiative on paternity leave and, if yes, what kind of initiative (legislative, non-legislative)? What would be the advantages and disadvantages of such an initiative?
5. What would be the added value of an EU initiative on paternity leave, compared to existing measures or possible future initiatives at Member State level?
6. What could a non-legislative initiative look like and what would be its impact? Would it achieve the same or similar objectives as a legislative initiative?
7. What would be, in your view, the likely impact of a legislative initiative introducing an entitlement for working fathers to paternity leave at EU level, both in terms of benefits and costs?
8. Among the legislative options suggested in section 2 (see attached document) , which combination of measures do you think would achieve the best balance between costs and benefits, and why?
Below you will find the background document by the Commission.
The deadline for submissions is Monday January 17th at the very latest. Please write to Ilaria (volpe@womenlobby.org).
Many thanks and best wishes,
The EWL Secretariat
Download the European Commission background document:
