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Cologne Court Grants Federal Civil Servants 10 Days of Paid Paternity Leave Under EU Law

The judges cited Germany’s missed deadline to implement an EU work‑life balance directive, limiting direct effect to the state–employee relationship.

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Bundesbeamte haben einem Urteil zufolge Anspruch auf zehn Tage bezahlten Vaterschaftsurlaub. Die Bundesrepublik muss einem Vater seinen beantragten Vaterschaftsurlaub nun rückwirkend gewähren, wie das Verwaltungsgericht Köln mitteilte.
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Overview

  • The Administrative Court of Cologne ruled that a federal civil servant has a directly enforceable EU right to 10 paid days of paternity leave.
  • Germany did not transpose the directive by August 2, 2022, which the court said triggers direct effect under European Court of Justice case law.
  • The federal employer must grant the leave retroactively and credit the days to the plaintiff’s leave account.
  • Existing German rules on parental leave and allowance were deemed insufficient because they do not provide paid short-term leave and tie Elterngeld to at least two months.
  • The decision does not create a claim for employees of private employers, and it is not final with a possible appeal to the Higher Administrative Court in Münster.