GERMANY: The German Chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schröder, has called on all Germans with "space in their hearts and homes" to adopt a child after he and his wife adopted a Russian girl in July. Derek Scally reports from Berlin
However Mr Schröder's adoption appeal, made during an unusually intimate television interview last night, follows a new study showing Germans have never been less interested in having children.
"She is happy with us and we are happy with her," said Mr Schröder of his new daughter, Viktoria, a Russian orphan from St Petersburg. "Those with room in their hearts and homes should consider whether they also want to adopt a child." He added that there were many children "whom one can offer a better perspective than they have".
Mr Schröder (60) dismissed speculation that he used his position to secure the adoption or to get around regulations stipulating a maximum 40-year age difference between prospective adoptive parents and the child.
"The accusation is false. The common law book doesn't mention any age regulations for adoptions," he said, adding that the 40-year rule was a guideline and not legally binding.
Viktoria Schröder is often mentioned as the secret behind Mr Schröder's rejuvenation in recent months: the German leader looks visibly younger and has soared in popularity in opinion polls.
But his new-found love of children is not shared by fellow Germans. Not only is the German birthrate still falling, but a new study shows that Germans' desire to have children has never been lower.
Nearly 17 per cent of German women between 18 and 34 say their ideal is to stay childless, compared to a European average of 5.5 per cent. A third of German men in western states say they want no children at all.
Germans would like on average just 1.52 children, the third lowest level in the EU after Austria and Italy, according to a study by the federal office for population research.
The actual birthrate in Germany is even lower at just 1.3 children. The survey shows a desire for 2.13 children in Ireland, 2.23 children in Britain and 2.25 children in France.
Most important factors to encourage a desire to have children were traditional support in the society for family and government measures such as subsidised kindergartens to encourage women to combine family with career. This year over two-thirds of German adults surveyed by Stern magazine agreed with the statement: "Children are too expensive".