Maternity allowance for the second half of the year will as of 1 April 2020 be increased from the current HRK 3,990 to HRK 5,600, Minister of Demography, the Family, Youth and Social Policy Nada Murganic announced on Friday after presenting new population measures for 2019 at a meeting of the Council for Demographic Revitalisation.

Murganic underlined that this is the second time maternity allowances were being increased and that they have increased by 110% and will apply to between 60% and 65% of beneficiaries.

“That is one of the most significant measures, a measure that has been very well accepted by the public already with the first increase and will certainly resound well again now,” the minister told a press conference.

She underscored that strengthening material status with these allowances is extremely important for young families and recalled that last year a law was adopted on child allowance and that the threshold had been raised so that a larger number of beneficiaries were eligible for child allowance.

“When we add everything we have done for new kindergartens to be built and improving conditions in child care centres by signing contracts for the construction of 200 new kindergartens to be financed from EU funds, then we can say that we have laid sound foundations for people to balance their working and family life.

Murganic said that the Council had decided that as of the next school year a pilot programme would be introduced for after-school programmes in schools that currently do not provide this service and that HRK 70 million had been secured for this purpose.

(EUR 1 = HRK 7.4)