The proposals, if rubber-stamped, would make all EU countries bound by the rule. Currently in Britain a mother can take a full year off on maternity leave with the first six weeks paid at 90 per cent of salary.
Other amendments passed in the draft legislation include paid paternity leave and breastfeeding breaks for mothers at work.
Rosie Dodds, senior policy officer at the National Childbirth Trust said: "Paid leave enables people to stay off work to look after their baby — research shows it is associated with less depression in mothers and better health for babies.
"Maternity and paternity leave payments currently lag behind the minimum wage and create a situation whereby time off to care for young children is not available to those with few resources to rely on. This results in many mothers in low-paid jobs returning to work earlier than they might wish to, in order to increase the family’s income."
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