Parents will be allowed to take 10 workdays of paid paternity leave and four months of paid parental leave, while family caregivers will be entitled to five days of unpaid leave per year, under an EU directive that aims to improve work-life balance for workers. The directive will apply to all workers with an employment contract and protect them from discrimination by requiring national laws that impose “effective, proportionate and dissuasive” penalties for violations. The new directive agreed to by Council of the EU will repeal another EU directive on parental leave. Member states must implement the provisions within three years of the directive’s publication in the EU’s official journal.
The new directive retains the existing right for workers to take time off for urgent family reasons caused by illness or accident.
Non-Mercer Resources
Mercer Law & Policy Resources