Govt ‘repeatedly introduced support measures to fight falling birthrate’

Since assuming office three years ago, the government has demonstrated in practice its determination to move forward with substantive reforms focusing on the child, the mother and the family, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Sunday.

At an event celebrating mothers of large families, in a speech delivered on his behalf by Deputy Social Welfare Minister Klea Hadjistefanou Papaellina, he said today, we honour 250 mothers and with them we honour all women who give their best every day for the family and society.

“With the aim of truly supporting large families, the family and children as a whole, we have implemented in the last three years a series of specific policies, that simultaneously respond to one of the most critical issues facing our country, the demographic problem,” he said.

Since the first day of taking office, he said the government has implemented a series of measures to support families, such as increasing the child allowance by five per cent and removing income and property limits for families with five or more children, thus ensuring universal support for these families.

The number of optional all-day schools increased and that from the 222 primary and secondary schools that operated in the 2022-2023 academic year, 326 are now operating, with a further 60 planned for 2026-2027.

Referring to tax reform, Christodoulides said, among other things, that the government has provided for increased and progressive tax exemptions for children, which increase with each child, recognising the real needs of families.

On pension reform, he said that within this framework, periods of childcare will be recognised as insured periods, even for women who have never worked, while periods of informal care for members of their family will be recognised in the same way.

Regarding the crisis in the region, he said that the Government had acted immediately and responsibly to address the effects of the geopolitical turmoil, saying that with full awareness of the pressures on households, they have already implemented an additional package of measures since the beginning of April.

This package includes the reduction of consumer tax on motor fuels, the subsidy of employment in the tourism industry, as well as zero VAT on basic food items, such as meat and fish.

“These interventions, combined with the further reduction of VAT on electricity that follows, constitute a practical response to external turmoil. We are leveraging our fiscal resilience as a real shield of protection, allocating a total of more than €200 million to ensure that economic uncertainty will not harm the cohesion of our society,” he concluded.