Bucharest city hall OKs ‘baby bonus’ to boost low birthrate

BUCHAREST, Romania – Romania’s capital soon will offer cash awards for newborn babies in a bid to boost flagging birthrates there.

The Bucharest city council voted Thursday to allocate 2,500 lei ($615) for each baby born in a city hospital, as long as at least one parent is a resident of the capital.

The city hall says Romania has one of the steepest population declines in Europe, caused by a falling birthrate and migration. Statisticians predict that by 2026, some 26 per cent of the country’s 19 million inhabitants will be over 65.

According to the National Institute for Statistics, some 21,150 babies were born in Bucharest in 2010, while some 19,250 babies were born there in 2015.