Serbia introduce incentives to stimulate family growth, parenting

BELGRADE, July 23 (Xinhua) — Serbia will provide grants to 61 municipalities with total worth of 500 million RSD (around 4.96 million U.S. dollars) intended for population policy measures, Slavica Djukic Dejanovic, minister in charge of demography and population policy, said on Monday.
According to an official statement, a total of 14 municipalities in autonomous province of Vojvodina (Northern Serbia) were awarded with 100 million RSD (9.9 million dollars), 26 municipalities in southwestern Serbia received 216 million RSD (2.1 million dollars), while Sumadija (Central Serbia) and Western Serbia received 128 million RSD (1.3 million dollars) intended for 28 municipalities.
Out of the allocated funds, 63 percent is intended for the reconstruction of preschools and playgrounds, while the remaining part is for financing startup projects for young parents, for pediatricians and gynecological health institutions, as well as for counseling and parenting schools.
While summing up Serbia’s efforts to cope with negative demographic outlooks since 2016, Djukic Dejanovic said that financial support to the family aims to raise the standard of parents, especially those who have three or four children.
In average, Serbia loses more than 30,000 people every year. Figures showed that in 2016, 102,455 Serbian citizens deceased, while only 67,459 were born. This spring, Serbian government adopted a new birth-stimulation strategy that incorporates migration management and care towards the elderly.
Djukic Dejanovic said the new population policy measures of the government envisage that families receive monthly financial assistance of around 12,000 RSD (119 U.S. dollars) for the third child, and 18,000 RSD (178.6 U.S. dollars) for the fourth child.