GETTY The EU has unveiled its latest harebrained scheme

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Loopy MEPs have overwhelmingly backed a report proposing mandatory paternal leave across Europe, thrashing men for a perceived failure to burden their share of household chores. Supporters, including Labour representatives, have also suggested introducing a raft of discriminatory financial aids aimed squarely at women entrepreneurs, including the easing of financial checks for bank loans and extra tax breaks.

One barmy proposal states European governments should adopt new laws to "encourage men to become more involved in housework and caring for dependent relatives", alleging lazy husbands are holding their wives back from having successful careers. But the controversial plans were met with fury by critics, who branded them "sexist and patronising" towards women. MEPs gave their seal of approval to the report during a sitting of the European Parliament in Strasbourg this afternoon.

GETTY Brussels wants to force men to do more housework

GETTY Barmy Brussels politicians have accused 'lazy' men of holding back their wives

Amongst the many proposals it brings forward is enforcing mandatory paternal leave across the continent, meaning men would have to take time off work when their child was born. It also blasts men for not doing enough housework and patronisingly dismisses the achievements of women entrepreneurs, claiming many of the most successful businesswomen are are just "fronts" for more powerful men. It accuses others of lacking the self-confidence to further their careers. UKIP MEP Louise Bours told Express.co.uk: "Only an intrusive and power-hungry organisation wants to interfere in the private lives of couples and their marriages. "It should be up to adults in the privacy of their own homes to decide who does what. It is not the place of any government and certainly not the place of EU bureaucrats to decide who does the dishes. "The EU started off as about economic trade, became about political control and is becoming about social engineering. We in Britain can't get out of this corrupt racket soon enough."

GETTY They also said women need to be give financial advantages in the business environment

GETTY UKIP MEP Louise Bours has criticised the controversial plans

We in Britain can't get out of this corrupt racket soon enough UKIP MEP Louise Bours

The report, examining "external factors that represent hurdles to European female entrepreneurship", was written by Italian TV star-turned MEP Barbara Matera. It calls on member states to "emphasise the need to change the way that gender roles have traditionally been assigned in society, the workplace and the family, by encouraging men to become more involved in housework and caring for dependent relatives, by means of, for example, mandatory paternity leave, non-transferable parental leave and public policies enabling effective reconciliation of family." The report then adds: "Women entrepreneurs can only reconcile family life and work if external circumstances permit, that is to say if suitable childcare is available and fathers play an active role in providing care and running the household." Her report is littered with sweeping statements about the abilities of women in business, with one patronising line reading: "Women tend to self-assess the level of innovation of their businesses lower than men."

Elsewhere it suggests a "holistic approach to female entrepreneurship", saying member states should invest in "facilitating access to finance and business opportunities" and "the reconciliation of professional and personal life, access to childcare facilities, and tailor-made training" for women. The controversial report also bizarrely chastises women for being unwilling to saddle their companies with huge debts, stating that "female entrepreneurs, compared to men, are more reluctant to assume a position of debt or to expand their business, thanks largely to lower levels of self-confidence". It also states many successful women are merely "fronts" for more powerful men - a suggestion bound to anger millions of female entrepreneurs across the planet.

A Brussels insider told Express.co.uk: "The EU shouldn't be interfering in the lives of individuals in this way, telling them who should do the housework. "Apart from anything else it sounds sexist. MEPs are just saying that women aren't as good as men so they need help from the the state, which is completely wrong. "It's crazy and it's patronising." After the report was approved by 532 votes to 100, with 80 abstentions, UKIP leader Nigel Farage sarcastically tweeted: "By a huge majority the European Parliament just voted to encourage men to do more housework."