By introducing parental leave of at least four months for each parent, two of which cannot be transferred from one to the other, the European directive on work-life balance for parents and carers has led to progress in several member states. This is the case, for example, in Hungary, where parental leave has finally been introduced. Nonetheless, some countries still fall short of the minimum two months reserved exclusively for each parent. This is particularly true of Spain, Estonia and Hungary, which have opted for eight weeks’ non-transferable individual parental leave.
Encouraging fathers to take parental leave
This minimum two-month non-transferable leave for each parent, provided for in the European directive, is intended to enable a better distribution of family responsibilities and thus improve professional equality between men and women. A total of 13 countries have chosen to institute non-transferable individual leave entitlements: each parent is entitled to the same number of days and cannot transfer these to their co-parent.
