EU Legislation, Initiatives, etc.

Newswire – EC: Self-employed workers and their partners will enjoy better social protection – including the right to maternity leave for the first time – under new legislation endorsed by EU governments last week. 

The Directive on self-employed workers and assisting spouses repeals & replaces an earlier law (
Directive 86/613/EEC) and ‘improves the social protection rights of millions of women in the labour market, boosting female entrepreneurship’.  At present, women represent only 1 in 3 entrepreneurs.
 
As far as employees are concerned, the EU recently adopted a new Directive improving the right to parental leave (IP/09/1854) and the Commission's proposal for a revised Directive on maternity leave is currently in first reading by the European Parliament (see also IP/08/1450).
Press release ~ Proposal for a Directive on equal treatment between self-employed men and women ~ EU gender equality policy & legislation ~ Women and entrepreneurship
 
NAO: There has been a detectable improvement over recent years in the financial management of European funds across the European Union, the National Audit Office has reported.  However, there remain seemingly intractable problems with reducing the high levels of error in some significant areas of EU spending.
Press release ~ NAO: Financial management in the European Union
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