Overview
- Deputies approved the new supplementary leave in first reading, voting 288 to 15 as part of the 2026 social security budget bill.
- An amendment advanced the proposed start date to January 1, 2026 for children born or adopted from that day, subject to final passage and implementing rules.
- Each parent may take one or two months, which can be split into two one‑month blocks and taken simultaneously or alternately, with at least one month required to be taken non‑simultaneously.
- The leave supplements existing maternity and paternity entitlements and does not replace parental leave, with indemnity levels to be set by decree after government guidance of roughly 70% of net pay for the first month and 60% for the second.
- The government plans to fund the scheme by delaying the family allowance increase from age 14 to 18, a move criticized by opposition lawmakers, with first‑year costs estimated at about €300 million.