Активности Владе Републике Србије ка бољој демографској будућности
Activities of the Government of the Republic of Serbia towards a Better Demographic Future

Author(s): Slavica Đukić Dejanović
Subject(s): Economic policy, Welfare systems, Demography and human biology
Published by: Институт друштвених наука
Keywords: demography; birthrate; birth promotion; migration
Summary/Abstract: In the year in which there have been the fewest newborn babies ever since the official statistics records these data, the Government of the Republic of Serbia has established the Cabinet for Demography and Population Policy. In view of the fact that the birthrate is relatively stable yet not sufficient to ensure population replacement, that we are an ageing nation whose average age is almost 43 years, that our mortality rate is increasing and that the process of emigration continuous, the Government has decided to undertake a set of measures that are expected to achieve results in the future, measured in decades in the context of demography. The basis for this paper is the Birth Promotion Strategy, a policy document adopted in 2008 that takes a holistic approach to the current, not so favourable state of affairs, with the objective to gradually mitigate the negative demographic parameters through persistent work. Owing to various circumstances, the activities specified in the Strategy have not been implemented, although even today, more than eight years after its adoption, experts concur that it is a well-made and still effective document and that the goals it incorporates are exactly the goals that need to be pursued. In order to pursue the above goals systematically, the Government has established the Population Policy Council, a body chaired by the Prime Minister, the other members being the line ministers, the representatives of the institutions closely cooperating on demographic issues and relevant experts. Moreover, the Cabinet of the Minister without Portfolio in Charge of Demography and Population Policy has established cooperation with the institutions and experts that are especially active in the field of demography, in particular in the activities directly related to these issues, namely: Institute of Social Sciences, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, Development Agency of Serbia, Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities. The experience gained and the cooperation with relevant experts has demonstrated two fundamental postulates for implementing a successful population policy: the economic and political stability, and the inclusion of all segments of society, which represent the goals towards which the state takes continuous action. Therefore, special attention is focused on the cooperation with local government units, which will be awarded subsidies in this year for population policy measures defined by the Birth Promotion Strategy, to be implemented in line with the specific needs of each municipality. At the same time, the strategic framework will be revised through the amendments to the existing Strategy in order to be more up-to-date and suited to the new circumstances like migrations and active aging. Besides the long-term goals, the Strategy will be accompanied by short-term action plans that will be adapted to respond to any changes that might occur and are not provided for in the main document.

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