Many ministers were open to the idea of including a "passerelle" clause in the draft directive, allowing the member states to take into account forms of leave other than maternity leave offered to the mother which fulfilled certain conditions.
Mitmed ministrid olid avatud ideele lisada direktiivi eelnõusse nn sillaklausel, millega lubatakse liikmesriikidel võtta arvesse teatavatele tingimustele vastava muud liiki puhkuse, mis ei ole sünnitus- ja raseduspuhkus, pakkumist emadele.