Like most of Central Europe, Romania has observed a steady demographic decline since
the 1990s due to extensive emigration and a decrease in the total fertility rate.
Attempts have been made, particularly since 2010, to reverse this decline and increase
the total birth rate. A very generous child-rearing leave and corresponding child-rearing
allowance contributed to a slight increase in the number of live births per woman,
which became one of the highest in the European Union (EU) in the late 2010s. Although
the improved economic outlook since joining the EU was also a factor, this chapter
aims to identify all the domestic legal norms that promote family growth. The chapter
looks at the broad picture of governmental family policy in Romania, taking into account
the differences between its relatively conservative family law and its more progressive
social law, the latter of which offers a wide array of benefits and maintains a broad
definition of families. Non-traditional methods of increasing childbirths, such as
surrogacy and fertility treatments, are also considered, and the normative deficiencies
in this regard are exposed. The chapter focuses on the positive law, with very brief
incursions into prior legal norms insofar as they are relevant to show the durable
trends in public policy.