E28_10: Work-life balance in the EU - Benefits of becoming a member state

Following the European Commission’s 2017 Proposal for a Directive on work-life balance for parents and carers, the new EU Work-life Balance Directive was passed by the European Parliament in April 2019. The aim of this Directive is to “improve families’” access to family leave and flexible work arrangements’, and ultimately “contribute to an increase in women’s employment and families’ economic stability.” Moreover, it introduces a set of legislative and non-legislative measures, i.e. policy measures, designed to modernise the existing EU frameworks in the work-life balance area. How will this affect Western Balkan countries? How much more funds will the countries of the Western Balkans receive, once they become members, having in mind that our closest neighbour, Croatia, receives 10 times more from the EU for this area? We talked with Ms Katarina Ivanković Knežević, Director in the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion in the European Commission, former State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour and Pensions of Croatia.