Aïda Sánchez-Aquí Europa
The European Commission is going to take Spain to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for failing to transpose the directive on reconciling family life and work on time.
Spain had until August 2022 to transpose this directive, but has not yet informed the European Commission whether or not it has done so.
Belgium, Ireland and Spain are the three countries that the European Commission will take to the European Court of Justice for not transposing its directive on work-life balance. The directive on reconciling family and professional life, adopted in 2019, is a major piece of legislation aimed at enabling working parents to better reconcile the private and professional facets of their lives. It establishes minimum standards for paternity leave, parental leave and caregiver leave, as well as the right to request flexible working formulas.
These new rules are intended to facilitate career development and family life without having to sacrifice either. The Directive allows working parents and caregivers to take leave to care for family members in need of care. The deadline for transposing the provisions of the Directive on the reconciliation of work and family life into national law was 2 August 2022.
Belgium, Ireland and Spain have not yet communicated transposition measures. As the cases concern the failure to communicate measures transposing a directive adopted under the ordinary legislative procedure, the Commission will ask the Court of Justice of the European Union to impose financial penalties on these Member States.
