Polish president wants amendment to child benefit law
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
23.04.2016 15:39
President Andrzej Duda has submitted a draft amendment to Poland's lower house of parliament concerning a watershed child benefit law.
Bild: wikimedia commons/Radosław Czarnecki/CC0
The draft amendment relates to the so-called 'Family 500 plus' programme, a child benefit initiative of Poland's ruling conservative Law and Justice party, aimed at raising Poland's birthrate.
The programme provides monthly handouts of PLN 500 (EUR 112) for every household's second and subsequent child.
Although Duda signed the bill into law in February, he has now said that it is “an absurdity” that beneficiaries of the programme could risk having other benefits lowered, if they sign up.
The 'Family 500 plus' programme was a cornerstone of the conservative Law and Justice party's electoral campaign (the election was held on 25 October). Duda himself belonged to Law and Justice before he was elected president last May.
Former prime minister Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz (Democratic Left Alliance) has commented that Law and Justice did not think through the original bill properly.
“Here we have yet more proof that you cannot create a law hastily,” he said.
“It should be carefully thought through, and there should be cross-party consultations, as well as public ones,” he added. (nh/pk)