ZAGREB, February 10, 2019 – The Assistant Minister of Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy, Ivica Bošnjak, said on Saturday that one of the measures of the Strategy for Democratic Revitalisation was to increase the amount of the parental allowance for the second half of maternity leave, but did not confirm that it would be in the full amount of parents’ monthly wages.
Speaking to the press after the Jutarnji List daily of Saturday wrote that the Strategy for Democratic Revitalisation, which is under preparation, envisaged a higher parental allowance and that it would be paid in the full amount for the other six months as well, Bošnjak said that the Strategy would be finalised in April and that it was likely be put to public consultation in May or June.
“We are dedicated to improving the conditions, we are going in that direction,” he said when asked by a reporter if the parental allowance would be paid in the full amount of the parents’ wages for all 12 months. Currently it is paid in full only for the first six months of maternity leave.
Bošnjak dismissed the speculation that this measure was planned for next year because it was an election year, recalling that parental allowances had been increased by 50 percent in mid-2017 after a full nine years and children’s allowances after a full eleven years.
He noted that the new Strategy was being drawn up after 13 years and that considerable investments had been made in kindergartens this year and last for the first time in 18 years. “Never before has central government made such investments. This is considerable progress and this measure is just one in a set of measures that will help improve the family environment.”
Bošnjak said that Croatia would implement the EU directive that requires the introduction of paid paternity leave of 10 days after the birth of a child. He added that it was yet to be seen whether the implementation would start next year or after 2020 and whether such leave would be paid by the employer or the government.
More news on the demographic policies can be found in the Politics section.
