This sounds really odd to me (UK-based, previously was contracting) — if someone is hired as a contractor, normally your company would be engaging their limited company as some type of consultancy arrangement.

So you wouldn't have any maternity leave or paid time off at all. In fact, from the contractor's point-of-view, you'd want to run a mile from these things as if the revenue believed you were a de facto employee (since you're getting company benefits) your tax liability would balloon.

But see no reason that a European founder couldn't hire freelancers/contractors in the same way that your company does.