They will receive a subsidy of up to 150,000 euros. 120 medium and large enterprisesto create baby care products at their facilities. A platform for applying for the participation of interested enterprises (https://ChildCareUnits.yeka.gov.gr) has been launched on Information system “Ergani” Ministry of Labor, which, through the General Secretariat for Demographic and Family Policy and Gender Equality, “launches” the corresponding program. The budget is 16 million euros, financed from the Recovery Fund. Businesses with more than 100 employees (medium) and more than 250 employees (large), including shopping malls, are eligible to set up childcare facilities on their premises.

In particular, entrepreneurs will be supported to configure the premises and supply the necessary equipment, as well as to subsidize the cost of salaries of up to two nannies during the first two years of operation of the premises. The functioning of care facilities after the end of funding must be supported by the beneficiaries for at least four years.

The beneficiaries will receive 50% of the costs for the configuration of the premises in advance and the remaining 50% after the start of operation. Then each year they will receive a subsidy to pay the wages of two caregivers for the first two years of employment. The maximum eligible costs are approximately EUR 150,000 for each large enterprise with more than 250 employees that join the programs and approximately EUR 107,000 for each medium enterprise with 100 to 250 employees.

The program will include two application cycles, the first of which will begin immediately and the second will “open” later this year. A total of 120 businesses, 70 large and 50 medium-sized, are expected to join, and the spaces created will accommodate around 2,500 babies aged 6 months to 2.5 years.

According to Minister of Labor Kostis Hatsidakis, after activities for nursery beneficiaries, increased parental leave and the Neighborhood Babysitting pilot program, the next step will be to create 120 babysitting places for workers in the same number of companies in order to harmonize family and professional life and increasing women’s participation in the labor market. “We are close to the family and we prove it every day by implementing social policy in practice,” said Deputy Labor Minister Maria Syregela.