The cabinet on Friday approved a bill extending maternity leave period for second and third children.

The bill provides for four additional weeks for a second child, including adoption or through a surrogate mother, and eight additional weeks for a third child, the government said.

The bill also amends the law to extend the period during which maternity allowances are paid, for second and third children, and any future birth, adoption, or surrogacy.

The European Commission states that maternity allowance needs to be paid to mothers for a period of 18 weeks starting between the ninth and second weeks before the week of the expected birth