New Temporary Maintenance Changes to Strengthen Child Protection: Addressing Unpaid Alimony and Promoting Financial Responsibility

The government has recently made changes to the Law on Temporary Maintenance to better protect children who are not receiving their full alimony payments from their non-custodial parent. These changes include increasing the state’s contribution to a child from an average of 100 euros to 200 euros and ensuring that the child receives the full legal minimum amount even if the responsible party does not meet this requirement. The payment period has been extended, lasting until the children reach the age of majority or up to age 26 if they are still in school. Those with serious and permanent illness or disability will be eligible for temporary maintenance for as long as they are incapacitated.

The process for recognizing and paying temporary maintenance will now be handled by the Agency for the Insurance of Workers’ Claims, and grandparents will no longer be responsible for providing maintenance. The state will now demand repayment from the non-paying parent with default interest, and repo options such as foreclosing bank accounts or enabling debt repayment through public work. The debt will not be claimed from the heirs if the liable person passes away.

All political parties have supported these changes, with some questioning why the state does not pursue other options like foreclosing companies or property of higher value from those who do not pay alimony. They suggest that the state pay the full amount of alimony, work to shorten processing times for temporary maintenance requests, and have concerns about the capacity of the Agency for