“Falling birth rates cannot be tackled with slogans, nor solved with a single bonus.” The Secretary of State for Justice, Social Security and the Family, Stefano Canti, returns to the new San Marino law dedicated to the family, definitively approved by the Grand and General Council (Consiglio Grande e Generale) in its sitting of Tuesday, September 15. The measure, made up of 40 articles, covers maternity and paternity, leave, children, caregivers and services.
With the second-reading vote, the legislative process was completed for the bill “Amendments to Law no. 129 of September 14, 2022, and introduction of new measures in support of the family, motherhood and birth rate.”
“The new law,” the Secretariat of State stresses, “represents a clear political choice: to regard the family not as an occasional target of interventions, but as a fundamental component of the community and a strategic investment for the country’s future.”
The package includes several measures that directly affect families’ daily lives. Paternity leave increases from 10 to 20 days, while the possibility of requesting part-time work is extended from when the child turns three to when they turn four. The percentages applied to daily pay during parental leave are also strengthened, with the introduction of a minimum income guarantee.
On the maternity front, an allowance for pregnancy and postpartum care is now also granted to unemployed women, while specific protections are introduced for female students. The law also provides for recognition of an allowance for early leave from work, with a minimum payment of 2,249.21 euros.
Among the innovations is also the formal recognition of the family caregiver, linked to the continuous care of a relative who is not self-sufficient due to illness or disability.
The reform also introduces 8 hours of paid annual leave for medical appointments for each child up to the age of 14, and sick pay for a parent when a child’s illness lasts more than two days or requires hospitalization. It also becomes possible to access caregiver leave even when the relative in question resides in Italy.
Another chapter concerns services. Measures are planned regarding nursery school and school meal fees based on income brackets, while the Congress of State is tasked with revising the rules on contributions for school trips, linking them more closely to families’ financial circumstances.
The law also establishes a Family Information Point, designed to provide information and guidance and to make it easier to access the various measures available.
According to the Secretariat, the reform is underpinned by a broader vision of policies to counter the declining birth rate: “there is no effective birth-rate policy without a comprehensive family policy.” Support, it explains, must therefore address work, services, housing, maternity and paternity, work-life balance and financial security all at once.
To explain in detail what will change, a public meeting will be held on October 8 at 8 p.m. at the Sala Montelupo in Domagnano.
“A law of this scope,” stresses the Secretary of State for Justice, Social Security and the Family, Stefano Canti, “must not remain confined within the institutions. The measures introduced are numerous and concretely affect the daily lives of many families: that is why we believe it is essential to accompany the law’s approval with a public moment of information and discussion.”
During the evening, the main changes, benefits, requirements and procedures for applying for the various measures will be explained. There will also be room for questions and comments from citizens.
“We want this reform to be known, understood and genuinely accessible to everyone who stands to benefit from it. Politics cannot simply stop at passing good laws: it must also make sure citizens know what is changing and how they can exercise their rights and access the opportunities the law provides. That is why we chose to open a public dialogue immediately,” Canti states.
The Secretary of State finally points to the Council’s vote as the start of a journey meant to continue. “Today’s approval is an important milestone, but also a starting point. Family policies must become a permanent feature of government and institutional action. Falling birth rates cannot be tackled with slogans, nor solved with a single bonus. They must be tackled by creating the conditions for every family and every individual citizen to look to the future with greater confidence.”
“We chose to invest in the family because we believe that investing in it means investing in social cohesion, in the growth of our community and, above all, in the future of the Republic,” Canti concludes.
