The purpose of extending maternity leave is to compensate employee-parents for time spent with their child in the hospital.
Additional maternity leave will be granted at the rate of one week of additional maternity leave for each week of the child’s stay in the hospital (i.e. ‘one week for one week’), with a maximum of up to 15 weeks or up to eight weeks, respectively, depending on the conditions outlined in the following table.
| 1 Conditions regarding the length of pregnancy, birth weight, and period of hospitalisation | Maximum length of additional leave |
|---|---|
| Children born before the end of the 28th week of pregnancy or with a birth weight of no more than 1 kg | 15 weeks |
| Children born after the end of the 28th week of pregnancy and before the end of the 36th week of pregnancy with a birth weight of more than 1 kg | 8 weeks |
| Children born after the end of the 36th week of pregnancy but who require hospitalisation between the 5th day after the day of delivery and the end of the 8th week after delivery (provided that the child's hospital stay includes at least 2 consecutive days between the 5th and 28th day after delivery) | 8 weeks |
This additional leave is optional; parents can choose whether or not to take it. The additional maternity leave, if taken, must start immediately after the regular maternity leave and must be taken in one piece.
The bill is planned to be adopted by the Council of Ministers in the third quarter of 2024.
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