A Czech commentary argues that a proposed million-crown payment for a second child would be an ineffective use of public money because it would not address why many couples postpone having their first child. It instead calls for predictable, indexed support and better access to regional services.
The proposed payment targets the wrong decision
The commentary responds to Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s proposals for raising birth rates, among them a possible state payment of around one million crowns for the birth of a second child. The author argues that the central problem is not a lack of incentives for a second child, but the difficulty of having the first. Research cited in the article says about one third of couples planning a first child realise that intention, while the share rises to one half when couples plan further children. On that reading, a large payment tied to a later birth would reach families after the main decision has already been delayed.
The demographic figures show a sustained decline
The article points to a sharp deterioration in Czechia’s demographic indicators. During 2025, 77.6 thousand children were born, the lowest number in the history of statistical recording. Birth rates and fertility had fallen year on year for the fourth consecutive time, and the average number of children per woman was 1.28. The commentary also questions Hungary as a model for family policy. After a decade of spending more than five per cent of gross domestic product on family support, Hungary’s birth rate had also reached a historic low, according to the source.
Predictability is presented as the stronger public policy
The proposed alternative is regular indexation of the parental allowance in line with inflation or living costs, rather than occasional increases announced for political effect. The article criticises arrangements in which higher support is restricted to children born after a specified date, creating what it calls more and less expensive children and weakening families’ confidence in state support. It also links higher birth rates to practical regional provision, including access to doctors, nurseries and schools, as well as affordable housing and transport. These proposals concern transfers and public services, not the purchase of goods or construction through a procurement tender.
What this means for public spending
The source describes the proposed family policy as costing roughly 30 billion crowns a year and argues that a one-off or unattainable benefit would be a poor response to the uncertainty experienced by young people. That is a policy critique, not proof of fraud, unlawful spending or procurement misconduct. The mechanism matters: a benefit programme distributes money under eligibility rules, whereas public procurement pays suppliers selected to deliver defined goods, works or services. Applying procurement standards to this debate would therefore miss the central issue, which is whether the design and predictability of a public transfer are likely to achieve its stated objective.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Births in 2025 | 77.6 thousand |
| Average children per woman in 2025 | 1.28 |
| Year-on-year decline in birth rate and fertility | Fourth consecutive year |
| Possible payment discussed | Around one million crowns for a second child |
| Estimated annual cost of the proposed policy | Roughly 30 billion crowns |
| Planned parental allowance change | Higher support for children born after 1 January 2027 |
| Hungary’s family-support spending cited | More than five per cent of GDP |
The problem is not an insufficient incentive for a second child, but an insufficient incentive for the first.
WHY IT MATTERS
Public spending intended to change behaviour needs a clear route from eligibility to outcome. The source argues that predictable parental support and reliable local services may offer a stronger foundation than a large payment available only after a later birth. The issue described is benefit design, not evidence of procurement fraud.
Reported from seznamzpravy.cz, 2026-09-16. The Tender Wire is published by Otnox.
