Maternity Leave Extensions for Europeans

Brussels has recently announced a plan to raise the minimum maternity leave from 14 weeks to 18 weeks with full monthly salary pay for the entire period. Additional leave time is granted in special cases such as multiple births, premature births and disabilities. This increase in leave time is viewed by the EU as modest as many other EU member states have longer leaves. For example, the Czech Republic and Slovakia allow 28 weeks while some countries may extend leave time to up to 52 weeks (without full salary pay).

The purpose of the proposed extension is to allow mothers more time to recuperate following childbirth to ensure better health and grant them more time to spend with their new babies while not having to worry about possible financial losses. Additional measures of this proposal include: more job protection by guaranteeing new mothers will return to the same or equivalent position; tougher regulations on employers making it harder to dismiss new mothers within one year after returning to work; and will require employers to consider requests for more flexible hours from new mothers.