Brussels will examine the citizens’ initiative for safe and accessible abortion in the EU
Brussels – The European Commission will examine the European Citizens’ Initiative calling for EU financial support for safe and accessible abortion, it was announced in Brussels. They confirmed that the organizers have collected more than one million signatures and stated that they will respond to the initiative by the beginning of March 2026.
According to the Commission, the initiative My Voice, My Choice: for safe and accessible has become the 12th successful European Citizens’ Initiative that the Commission will address.
They added that it has been signed by 1,124,513 EU citizens, and the minimum required number of signatories was achieved by the organizers in 19 member states. For the Commission to respond to the initiative, it must collect one million signatures, and the threshold of signatories must be exceeded in seven member states.
“We want the European Union to establish a financial mechanism that would allow countries to provide abortion services to those individuals who do not have access to abortion in their own countries,” said Nika Kovač, director of the Slovenian NGO Institute 8. March, who led the campaign to gather support, during the symbolic handover of signatures in Brussels.
The Commission emphasized that any such financial support must respect the EU Treaty, which stipulates that EU measures must respect the competencies of member states regarding the determination of their health policies and the organization of healthcare. They also added that the initiative does not address the granting of the right to abortion at the EU level.
The Institute 8. March, in collaboration with NGOs in other member states, began collecting signatures for the initiative for safe and accessible abortion across the EU in April last year. After a year of gathering signatures, it was officially confirmed in August that they had collected sufficient support. The Commission will now have to address the initiative. (September 1)
