European Commission has clarified that member states are permitted to utilise the existing EU social fund to cover the cost of abortions for women who travel from countries within the bloc where the procedure is restricted.
The clarification, issued on Wednesday, comes in response to a campaign titled “My Voice, My Choice,” which advocates for the creation of an EU-funded instrument to support women obliged to seek abortions abroad due to domestic limitations.
“Today is a day of victory for women in Europe,” declared Nika Kovač, coordinator of the “My Voice, My Choice” initiative. “These are not just words. This is a political commitment to the protection of women’s rights.”
While the Commission stopped short of endorsing a new, dedicated financing mechanism, it confirmed that existing funds could be redirected by member states to support such access.
The announcement directly addresses the situation in EU nations like Poland and Malta, where abortion is almost entirely prohibited. Significant barriers to access also persist in other member states, including Italy and Croatia.
Since 2024, the European Parliament has been advocating for the inclusion of the right to abortion in the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, seeking to codify it among the bloc’s “fundamental rights and freedoms.”
“We will fight until there is not a single woman in Europe who dies because she cannot get an abortion,” stated Manon Aubry, a left-wing MEP from France.
