The Municipality of Centar has raised its financial support for a newborn from 7,000 to 10,000 denars. The 2026 budget sets aside about 4 million denars for the measure. According to mayor Goran Gerasimovski, 696,681 denars have been paid out from January to now - by a simple calculation, the measure has been used by around 70 families since the start of the year.

The number does not sound impressive. Because it is not. Centar is one of the smallest Skopje municipalities by territory, with a relatively old demographic profile and relatively few young families opting for a first or second child in the central zone of the city - where rents are higher, flats are smaller, and the quality of life for families with children is more limited.

10,000 denars (about 160 euros) for the birth of a child is a symbolic sum. It does not cover a cot, it does not cover three months of nappies, it does not cover the expenses for a baby's basic needs. It is a "stamp of approval," not a serious natality policy.

But Centar is not alone in this category. All municipalities in the country with newborn-payment measures operate in the same range - 5,000 to 15,000 denars per child, with the odd extra add-on. This is the policy of "let us salute the parents," not "let us transform the demographic trend."

For genuine demographic intervention, you need a completely different category of measures: free or subsidised kindergartens for low and middle income families, tax relief for parents, parental leave that does not derail a career, paid hours while the mother is on maternity. That is the policy that demographically woke up the Nordic countries, and that is being rolled out in several Central European states. In Macedonia - such a thing is not in the budget, not in the plans, and not in the debate.

The Municipality of Centar pays 10,000 denars for a newborn. Citizens accept it. And the demographic trend keeps moving in the same direction - downwards.