The General Council unanimously approved the bill that equates paternity and maternity leavewhich aims to strengthen the conciliation and family co-responsibilityand which was extensively worked on in committee with contributions from all groups.
The Head of Government, Xavier Espot, emphasized that the rule represents “another step in the field of work and family reconciliation”and remarked that equality “is not an abstract aspiration, it is democracy”. Espot warned that there are still imbalances, especially in the distribution of family responsibilitieswhich continue to fall mostly on women, often forced to adapt or slow down the professional career. In this sense, he defended that maternity must be “compatible with employment projection” and what the text moves towards a more equitable model. The law establishes the progressive equalization of maternity and paternity leave up to 20 weeks in 2030with a non-transferable and shared nature, and incorporates the recognition of different family models.
“It seems to me, at the very least, in poor taste to compare gender violence with theft”
Pere Baró, general councilor of the social democratic groupassessed that it is “an important step, but not definitive”, and remarked that the construction of rights is “a continuous process”, recalling that the group defended a faster equalization, in 2027. However, he warned that still there is room to go further and he criticized some control mechanisms towards compliance with permitsconsidering that it should not be based on mistrust of the public.
“Equality cannot be defended when it is convenient because it is not selective or timely”
Núria Segués, councilor of Concordia, stated that the law allows “to begin dismantling stereotypes”, and highlighted that the wage gap and the unequal distribution of care continue to condition the professional trajectories of women. As he said, the text “changes the paradigm” because it redistributes time and opportunities and incorporates men fully into childcare. He also emphasized the importance ofintroduce flexibility to adapt rights to the reality of different job profilesand insisted that the rule will contribute to improving the health and safety of families.
“You cannot proclaim yourself a defender of equality while putting obstacles in the way of lifting the amendment”
Noemí Amador, on behalf of Andorra Endavant, highlighted the joint work of the groups and remarked that the law recognizes that “parenting is not a secondary task or for a single person”defending that conciliar means “to be able to live family and work life with dignity”. Amador highlighted the dialogue with entities and collectivesas well as the need for companies to be able to plan properly to anticipate layoffs.
“(To Segués) All opinions are legitimate and he does not have a monopoly on thought”
During the debate, Baró and Segués reproached AE that the formation wanted to “put on the medal” for supporting the measure after having voted against the lifting of the amendment reservation of the Istanbul Convention, that foresees a subsidiary benefit paid by the State for victims of gender-based violence in the event that the convicted aggressor does not assume it. according to Segués, “equality cannot be defended only when it is convenient. That day we also talked about rights”, assuring that equality “cannot be a discourse of convenience”. Carine Montaner, president of the grouptook the floor to reaffirm the formation’s position against the lifting of the amendment reservation of the Istanbul Convention and, in direct allusion to It wasstated that “in a democracy all positions are legitimate and you do not have a monopoly on thought”. Amid the exchange of positions between Concordia and AE, Espot intervened to point out that “it seems contradictory to vote in favor of this law but against the lifting of the amendment to the Istanbul Convention“. In response, Montaner affirmed that the State should not assume the financial responsibility for an aggressionputting on the table that if he did, maybe too he would have to take charge of it for a theft, which generated Espot’s repulsionwhich called it “bad taste to compare gender violence with a robbery”.
more
- ENERGY AGREEMENT. The Council approved the electrical interconnection agreement with Spain, which will make it possible to strengthen the capacity to import energy with a 220 kV line.
- CHANGES IN THE GOLDEN RULE. Approved the modification of the golden rule to adapt it to the current context. The new text establishes a progressive reduction of debt up to 25% of GDP.
