Decision follows campaign by citizens’ initiative, but funding remains voluntary for member states
By Bunmi Yekini
The European Commission has cleared the way for European Union countries to use existing EU social funds to help women access safe abortions, a move supporters say could expand reproductive healthcare across the bloc but critics argue still leaves access uncertain.
Under the decision announced last week, EU member states can voluntarily use resources from the European Social Fund Plus to cover the costs of abortion care, including medical treatment, travel and accommodation for women seeking services either within their country or across borders.
European Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lahbib said the move aimed to address the risks women face when safe services are unavailable.
“Behind every unsafe abortion is a woman forced to risk her life because she has no safe alternative, no support, and no protection,” Lahbib said after the decision.
The shift marks one of the strongest steps yet by the European Commission to support reproductive healthcare access, though the policy does not introduce new funding and depends on whether national governments choose to redirect existing budgets.
Citizens’ campaign drives policy shift
The decision was prompted by the My Voice, My Choice, a grassroots campaign that collected more than 1.2 million signatures across Europe calling for EU-backed financial support to ensure access to safe abortions.
Campaign organisers welcomed the Commission’s response as a breakthrough for women’s rights.
“This is not symbolic, it is a political commitment to women’s rights,” said Nika Kovač, the campaign’s lead coordinator.
Activists say the policy could help thousands of women who face financial and legal barriers to accessing abortion services in several EU countries.
More than 20 million women in the EU currently lack reliable access to safe abortions due to restrictive laws or practical obstacles such as cost, distance and lack of providers, campaigners say.
Countries such as Poland and Malta maintain some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe, while in Italy, where abortion is legal, many doctors refuse to perform the procedure due to personal beliefs.
The World Health Organization estimates that limited access to safe services contributes to about 483,000 unsafe abortions each year across Europe.
Navigating legal limits
EU officials say the policy was carefully designed to avoid violating the bloc’s legal boundaries on healthcare policy, which largely remains under national control.
“Health policy is a national competence and the Commission has limited room to act,” Lahbib said, explaining the legal constraints.
By allowing governments to voluntarily redirect funding from the European Social Fund Plus rather than creating a new EU programme, the Commission avoided forcing member states to change their national abortion laws.
Legal experts backing the initiative said the approach respects national sovereignty while enabling cross-border healthcare support for women who need it.
However, campaigners say the Commission must now provide clear guidelines to help governments integrate abortion access into their national funding programmes.
Funding uncertainty remains
Despite welcoming the decision, activists say relying on existing social funds leaves abortion access vulnerable to political shifts.
The €142.7 billion European Social Fund Plus, which runs from 2021 to 2027, was originally created to support employment, education and anti-poverty programmes across the EU.
Any abortion-related spending would have to compete with those priorities for limited resources.
Campaign organisers say this could limit how widely governments adopt the measure.
They have urged the Commission to create dedicated funding streams for reproductive healthcare in the future.
Political divisions persist
The policy has also exposed deep political divisions across Europe.
The European Parliament voted in December 2025 to support the citizens’ initiative, with backing largely from liberal and progressive lawmakers.
But conservative and religious groups have strongly criticised the move.
The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union warned that using EU social funds to finance abortions could create political tensions across the bloc.
Far-right lawmakers have also accused the Commission of interfering in national sovereignty.
“If the Commission financially supports circumventing member states’ abortion laws, it means a fight of Europe against Europe,” said Margarita de la Pisa Carrión during parliamentary debates on the issue.
Push for long-term funding
Supporters of reproductive rights are now pushing for a more permanent financial mechanism.
The European Parliament Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality has called for abortion access funding to be integrated into the EU’s next long-term budget cycle covering 2028 to 2034.
Committee chair Lina Gálvez said lawmakers want the Commission to consider the financial implications of the citizens’ initiative without delay.
While dedicated funding remains uncertain, EU officials say women’s health will remain a priority.
“We will strengthen women’s health and rights across Europe, including their sexual and reproductive health and rights, because this is the Europe we believe in,” Lahbib said.