On Thursday, 16 April, the Saeima held an extraordinary sitting and adopted in the final reading urgent amendments to several laws in order to provide additional social support for families with children during the crisis, as well as to expand the circle of unemployment benefit recipients.

"Families with children are the cornerstone of our society, and they risk having the hardest time because of the crisis caused by Covid-19. Therefore, today’s decision can bring an important additional support for many,” emphasises Andris Skride, Chair of the Social and Employment Matters Committee responsible for the progress of the draft law in the Saeima.

The amendments to the Law on Social Services and Social Assistance increase the amount of the benefit by 50 euros per month per child for families who, due to the Covid-19 emergency, are unable to provide for their basic needs and receive benefits in this crisis situation. This provision of the Law will also apply to foster families and guardians. The benefit will be paid from the municipal budget, but the state will reimburse it to the municipalities in full.

The amendments also instruct municipalities not to pay or to proportionally reduce the crisis benefit for the period when the recipient, in accordance with laws and regulations, has been granted a downtime benefit and its supplement for a dependent child.

If a municipality already granted a family (person) the crisis benefit for March of this year by 17 April, the municipality will also have to increase the benefit by 50 euros per month per child for this period, in line with the amendments.

The amendment to the Law on Support for the Unemployed and Jobseekers broadens the range of those eligible for unemployment benefits.

The amendment entitles micro-enterprise owners whose businesses have no turnover (including after obtaining the status of the unemployed) to also apply for the status of the unemployed until 31 December of this year. The same will also apply to the self-employed who earn no income (including after obtaining the status of the unemployed). However, a natural person engaged in economic activity and paying a patent fee for it will not qualify for the unemployment benefit.

Taking into account the consequences of the crisis and the increase in unemployment, until 31 December this year, the status of the unemployed will be applicable to people engaged in temporary work for up to 120 days instead of the previous 60 days. In this case, the status of the unemployed will be suspended if the status of an employed or self-employed person is acquired twice in a 12-month period for a total period not exceeding 120 days. The previous regulation enabled an unemployed person to temporarily become employed or self-employed for a period of up to 60 days in a 12-month period while retaining their status as unemployed.

The amendments are necessary to reduce the consequences of the deteriorating economic situation and to enable people who have paid their state social insurance unemployment contributions to receive support in case of unemployment, temporarily setting more flexible conditions for obtaining the relevant status, according to the authors of the draft law.

As of 1 April this year, registered unemployment stood at 61,927, according to the explanatory note to the draft law.

The amendments to the Law on Social Services and Social Assistance will enter into force on 18 April this year, while the amendment to the Law on Support for the Unemployed and Jobseekers and the amendment to the Unemployment Insurance Law will enter into force on the day following their promulgation.

Saeima Press Service