State allowances for children will increase from January 1, 2023 by 5.1%, being indexed to the inflation rate, according to the decision of the Coalition on Monday evening.
The measures decided by the governing coalition formed by PNL, PSD and UDMR were announced by the leaders of the three parties on Monday evening.
From January 1, 2023, state allowances for children will be indexed to the inflation rate, social-democratic leader Marcel Ciolacu wrote on Facebook. If the increase percentage of 5.15 were applied, the allowances would be 255.4 lei for children aged 2 to 18 and 630.6 lei for those up to 2 years old.
Currently, the state allowance is 600 lei for children aged up to 2 years or up to 3 years, in the case of a disabled child, 243 lei for children aged between 2 and 18 years, as well as for young people provided for in art. 1 paragraph (3) and 600 lei for children aged between 3 and 18 years, in the case of a child with a disability. The increase that would be applied would practically mean 12 lei for children between 2 and 18 years old and 30 lei for those under 2 years old.
Gov’t wants to increase the birth rate
At the same time, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă announced on Tuesday that the Executive is concerned about the increase in the birth rate and is looking for solutions in this regard. It also ensures that there are financial resources for the implementation of some programs.
The Head of the Executive participated, on Tuesday, at the Victoria Palace, in the signing of the joint order regarding the approval of the Norms of application of the “Social Program of national interest to support couples and single people, to increase the birth rate”.
“It is a project that has been worked on for a long time. In the “Support for Romania” package, we had this objective, and here is that through the decision initiated at the level of the Government, we are able to pass, practically, that bureaucratic step through which we can succeed in ensuring the implementation of this measure. It is being discussed very much and in the public space about this particularly serious problem of the current times related to the declining birth rate. It is a problem that we have assumed at the government level and we have assumed it in the sense that we consider it our responsibility to come up with solutions so that we can ensure the necessary conditions for young couples, for single people to have access to these facilities through which we can ensure the birth rate increase”, PM Ciucă said.
He added that through this program those who wish will be able to benefit from support for entering the in vitro fertilization programs.
The prime minister also recalled other measures taken by the Executive to support young families. “Not long ago we made the decision and the process of building nurseries has already started. There are 124 nurseries that are part of the construction program throughout the country. We are also discussing ensuring the conditions for early education for young couples and, in this way, it is a program through which we ensure the construction of 150 day care centers, a program worth 50 million euros. And, of course, there are the other measures that we have undertaken and which we make sure that they will be enforcede”, stated Ciucă.