CYPRUS:A proposal in Cyprus to pay women a €35,000 "baby bonus" for having a third child has resulted in a flood of inquiries about abortions from women considering delaying having a baby in order to cash in on the windfall, MPs say.
Prospective mothers wanting to avail of the bonus, aimed at reversing the island's declining birthrate, have deluged politicians, and the local media, following the offer of the premium.
"It's really bad. Pregnant women are calling in wondering whether they should have abortions now that they've heard about this very generous bonus," conservative MP Maria Kyriacou said.
"Many are seriously considering termination. [ It] is a lot of money, and if it means getting it, they think they should wait."
The MP said she feared the problem would reach "epidemic proportions" if the government failed, when it debated the measure this week, to specify exactly when the bonus would apply.
"Europe is getting old and it is understandable that states want to take action but in our case the issue has been handled shamelessly. People are asking what they're asking because they have no idea how the legislation will work."
The divided island's Greek population has the lowest birthrate in the EU, according to polls.
Latest figures show that while the majority 700,000-strong Orthodox Christian population has barely increased at all, the number of Muslim Turks in the breakaway north has risen steadily over the past decade.
Faced with the prospect of being outbred, the Greek Cypriots' internationally recognised government announced the measure last week.
Labour minister Antonis Vassiliou enthused that the cash incentive would not only apply for third babies but "every child after that".
Similar programmes in Australia, Canada and France had produced "spectacular" results, officials at the ministry said.
But the plan has also caused ructions. Clearly alarmed by the measure, the finance minister, Michalis Sarris, predicted the proposal could cost the state as much as €90 million a year.
Although the breakaway republic's burgeoning population has been widely blamed for hindering peace talks between the two communities, President Tassos Papadopoulos's hardline stance has also been increasingly criticised by Greek Cypriots.