The ministers called for more government support for people wanting to have children.
Vienna — The falling birth rate and economic crisis make it crucial for governments to support families who desire more children, the Council of Europe said Tuesday.
“The decision to have children is first and foremost an individual choice, but … it must be a real choice,” deputy secretary-general Maud de Boer-Buquicchio told journalists at the start of a two-day conference of family affair ministers from the council’s 47 member states.
“Ministers of family affairs (must) lift any obstacles which could exist,” she added.According to a council report presented at the conference, the birth rate among member states varied immensely, from over 1.8 children per woman in Scandinavian countries to less than 1.4 in many eastern European countries.
And while child support, parental leave and good childcare facilities exist in most countries, these measures could be streamlined for all of Europe.