Pravo oca na roditeljski i očinski dopust u zemljama EU

Equality between men and women in the exercise of rights is one of the fundamental principles of the European Union, which is enshrined in the acts of primary legislation and in secondary legislation. However, the directive did not ensure full equality of fathers and mothers with regard to reconciling professional and family obligations, which was the reason for the adoption of the new Directive 2019/1158, which contains provisions aimed at striking a balance between work and family obligations, and which was adopted on 20 June 2019. This Directive repeals Council Directive 2010/18/ EU, that is, Member States have a period of time to comply with the new Directive within three years of its entry into force. In addition to the importance of involving the father in childcare at a young age, the paper also points to EU legal acts that regulate the reconciliation of fathers’ professional and family responsibilities. In addition, an overview of available data on the use of childcare leave by fathers is provided. The paper pays particular attention to existing solutions at EU level for the use of parental and paternity leave, comparing them to those contained in the new Directive 2019/1158.