Business Minister Edward Davey will attend a meeting of the EU Employment Council (EPSCO) today to lobby against  proposals put forward by MEPs in October. The Government is concerned that a move to 20 weeks of maternity leave at full pay, as proposed by the European Parliament, would impose considerable and unacceptable additional costs on many Member States at a time when economies across the EU can least afford it. Ministers also believe that the proposals put forward are socially regressive.