one additional detail; the %s are for the Netherlands, not the whole of western europe

I don’t know exactly where I have ‘landed’, but hey, it’s interesting. your theories are good, but I think you might be digging too deep.
I live in ‘western eruope’ myself and can quite confidently say that the problem is not our compassion with the world and the disruption of any natural balance by humans, nor is it that the free market does not allow procreation for some vague elite (if you ask me, most problems arise from people thinking they know better/they are the elite/they have more value).
Though it does have something to do with freedom and free markets. But I don’t mean american freedom (I swear, the european/germanic and such ‘freedom’ is way different then the 20th century american one).
Europe is a very small continent made out of small countries (as I hope you know), and clearly so must then be western europe. The comparative population rates city-’country-side’ bare a humungous difference; 28% of the population lives spread over 55% of the country in small villages and such, which means 72% of the pop. lives in the remaining 45% of the country. There are more such facts, but specifying on them would make this argument unnecessarily extensive and potentially boring.
It is relatively generally assumed that city-life is much more hectic, fast, but also more emancipated and progressive. WOmen in cities tend rather to commit to a carreer, independence and accomplishment before thinking of settling down and getting kids.
The fast lifestyle and high competition for (good) jobs and carreers just does not allow pregnancy leave. And even if it does (like the dutch government has made possible), many are still reluctant for the simple issue that you do not just get a child to procreate, throw it into this world and leave it be, no, women tend to want to care for their child.

And see, that does explain a lot.
I know it is along the lines that dutch policies imply.
I did not quite finish my argument, but this is turning into some kind of essay

I think we are witnessing effect of spirits not wanting to take human form at this time. Look at the present condition of the world. It is in tremendous torment. Those that come here are ready to bring change, many are not and so they go elsewhere.

Family shall evolve as all of us human’s must, but not the way of a breeding farm. Humans themselves will become more selective in allowing themselves to create new life, until they, and the spirits they bring in, are ready for it.

Perhaps declining fertility is really the result of us as a whole realizing that we can’t continue to over populate the Earth as we have?

H~

as a consequence of free market, the better educated (presumably, those with better genes) are not procreating. the result of this “efficient”, self-regulating specialization is that the society will become dumber. this market, along with many others, is perfect candidate for regulation. your farms of the future should select the best specimen for breeding. let Reason reign.