Overview

• Fathers will now need the same contribution and work-history thresholds as mothers to qualify for the €35.9 monthly pension top-up per child.
• The decision enforces a May ECJ verdict that branded Spain’s stricter criteria for fathers discriminatory under EU equality law.
• Spain’s Supreme Court unified national and EU jurisprudence and pressed the government to amend the supplement design for the second time.
• A Vigo pensioner’s lawsuit could enable affected fathers to claim retroactive payments estimated at €500 to €2,000 annually.
• Introduced in 2016, the supplement aims to narrow an average €7,000 annual pension gap linked to child-rearing career breaks.