The Minister of Labor, Marian Jurečka (KDU-ČSL), is finalizing a proposal to increase the parental allowance by 50,000 Czech korunas, bringing the total to 350,000 korunas. However, the coalition leaders must now decide whether to shorten the duration of the budget to three years and determine who will be eligible for the increase.

The proposed increase aims to provide greater support to parents, but discussions are underway to determine the implementation details. Some suggestions propose that the increase should only apply to parents whose children are born after January 1st, which has drawn criticism from parents who feel this would be unfair.

The Chairman of the Pirate Party parliamentary group, Jakub Michálek, rejects the idea of a shortened duration and suggests raising the parental allowance to 350,000 to 370,000 korunas, depending on the child’s date of birth. He believes this approach is more realistic and emphasizes that it would be impossible to influence the timing of a child’s birth. Michálek acknowledges the concerns of parents who will miss out on the increase and suggests exploring the possibility of quarterly increases in the future.

The Mayors and Independents party propose a gradual increase in the allowance and oppose limiting it to parents of newborns. Lukáš Vlček, the party’s Vice-Chairman and Member of Parliament, supports the increase in the budget but highlights the need to address the lack of kindergarten spaces before shortening the maximum duration of parental leave from four years to three years.

While discussions regarding an earlier implementation date than January 1st have surfaced, the Chairman of the KDU-ČSL parliamentary group, Marek Výborný, considers it unlikely. Výborný supports the proposed increase of 50,000 korunas and opposes reducing the duration of parental leave.

The opposition party SPD (Freedom and Direct Democracy) proposes a larger increase in the allowance to match inflation since 2020, suggesting an amount of 90,000 to 100,000 korunas. They advocate for regular budget valorization and want the increase to apply to all children under four. The SPD also proposes allowing grandparents to receive the allowance if parents return to work, providing greater flexibility in benefit distribution.

As discussions continue, the decision on the implementation details of the increased parental allowance remains pending. The aim is to find a balanced approach that provides adequate support to parents while considering the challenges and concerns associated with the duration and eligibility criteria for the increase.