ALDE Party welcomes the European Commission’s positive response to the My Voice, My Choice European Citizens’ Initiative.
Announcing the decision, European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Labib said:
“This decision will change lives. From now on, we are granting Member States the possibility to use EU funding to improve access to abortion. This is groundbreaking. This was only possible thanks to the Citizens’ Initiative, My Voice My Choice, with their one goal of safe and accessible abortion for women.”
The European Commission’s response now allows Member States to rely on existing EU instruments, notably the European Social Fund Plus to improve access to free, safe and legal abortion services.
This is a historic moment for women across Europe. For the first time, EU funding can be used to directly support reproductive care, making safe abortion more accessible regardless of where a woman lives or her financial situation.
European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, shared her support:
“Today the Commission took an important step for access to safe abortion in Europe. As pressure on women’s rights grows globally, Europe is standing up for safe access to healthcare for women.”
ALDE Party applauds the activists and citizens who gathered over one million signatures, supported by 170 organisations and a majority of the European Parliament, to make this victory possible.
Abir Al-Sahlani MEP (Centerpartiet, SE) called for continued momentum:
“But now it’s time to do the job. I’m now counting on the EU member states that already showed their support to actually show leadership and use EU funding for this. Today I will celebrate and tomorrow I will continue working again for safe and legal abortion for every women in Europe.”