EMPTY hallways and only eight newborns in cribs. The maternity ward in the Bulgarian city of Gabrovo tells you everything you need to know about the drastic decline in the birth rate in Bulgaria.

“There are not many people of reproductive age left here. The young have left in search of work in big cities and abroad,” pediatrician Bistra Kamburova (68) told AFP.

Corruption, lack of prospects and political crises

Gabrovo, squeezed at the foot of the Balkan Mountains, is a symbol of population decline in the poorest member of the European Union.

Once known as the “Bulgarian Manchester” because of its strong industry, the city has lost half its population since 1985. It is a well-known story throughout the country.

Corruption, lack of prospects and a spiral of political crises, which is why the fourth general election in 18 months is being held on Sunday, have driven away disillusioned young people.

Analysts predict that the elections will once again result in a fragmented parliament in which no party will be able to form a strong coalition.

Bulgaria has lost a tenth of its population in ten years and is among the countries in the world with the fastest depopulation.

It now has 6.52 million inhabitants compared with almost 9 million in 1989. And a quarter of the population is older than 65.

Desert

Industries in Gabrovo employed thousands of workers during communism, before the factories became deserted due to bankruptcies and privatization.

It is now the region with the lowest birth rate and the most uninhabited villages in the country.

“I started working here in 1985. At that time the number of births was still quite high – around 1,000 newborns a year,” said doctor Kamburova, whose two adult sons are among those who left Gabrovo.

“But the factories worked, worked, worked,” she added.

Last year, only 263 children were born in the Gabrovo area and were cared for by that energetic pediatrician, who still works even though she has already exceeded retirement age, and for a “miserable salary” at that.

“The explanation is simple – no jobs, no young people, no children,” said midwife Marijana Varbanova.

Many of those who stayed would gladly leave.

“In Gabrovo you enjoy peace and fresh air, but it is a desert where you can meet only old people,” said 23-year-old Hristiana Krasteva, a speech therapist who recently gave birth to a girl.

Her husband, who works as a carpenter, is preparing to leave for Britain in search of a better future for his family.

Grandchildren for rent

Standing in front of the first public school in Bulgaria, founded in Gabrovo in 1835, high school student Ivo Dimitrov also wants to leave for Western Europe in order to gain a “quality education and new horizons”.

“It is chaos here,” he said, criticizing the negligence of the political class.

Despite Brussels' aid since Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007 to help it with development projects, transport and tourism, Gabrovo needs fewer and fewer workers.

“It will take time to reverse that demographic trend,” said analyst Adrian Nikolov from the Institute for Market Economics in Sofia.

Only 35 people live in the picturesque 17th-century village of Zaja, some 25 kilometers from Gabrovo. In addition to the locals, retirees from France, Britain, Belgium, Russia, Italy and other countries have settled there, attracted by cheaper living. There is no polling station, and the village shop closed many years ago because there are no customers.

“We decided to go shopping together. We somehow manage,” said Marin Krastev, a retired electrician whose daughter left for Germany long ago.

Once a week, this 77-year-old drives three other retired women from the village to the nearest shop.

To bring a little joy into their lives, the elderly joined a municipal summer program called “Grandchildren for rent,” under which young people come to Zaja to get to know life in the countryside.

“They were delighted by the rabbits, as well as the homegrown tomatoes and peppers,” said with a smile the president of the village cultural center, Bojana Boneva (75).

Source: index.hr