Commission will examine European citizens’ initiative calling for EU financial support for safe and accessible abortion
Today, the European citizens’ initiative ‘My Voice, My Choice: For Safe And Accessible Abortion’ has been submitted to the European Commission, making it the 12th successful initiative that will be examined by the Commission. Following its registration in April 2024, the initiative has obtained 1,124,513 valid statements of support from EU citizens, surpassing the required minimum of one million valid statements of support and reaching thresholds in 19 Member States.
The organisers of the initiative call on the Commission to submit a proposal for financial support to Member States that would enable them to perform safe termination of pregnancies for anyone in Europe who lacks access to safe and legal abortion.
Any such support would need to comply with the limits of Article 168(7) TFEU, which states that EU action must respect the responsibilities of the Member States for the definition of their health policy and for the organisation and delivery of health services and medical care. The initiative does not concern the granting of a right to abortion at EU level.
In its registration decision, the Commission specifies that it would be competent to follow up on the initiative only insofar as it does not have as its aim or effect the undermining of the public order legislation of the Member States or more generally of the healthcare and ethical choices made by Member States in exercise of their competence in health matters.
The submission of the initiative does not influence the Commission’s final decision on its merits, or any potential action it may take. The Commission has until 2 March 2026 to present its official reply, outlining the actions it intends to take, if any. The Commission will meet the organisers to discuss the initiative in detail in the coming weeks. A public hearing will then be organised by the European Parliament.
