US EditionEU says social fund can be used to allow access to safe abortions across bloc
The European Commission allows member states to use the €142.7 billion European Social Fund Plus to finance safe abortions for women from countries with restricted access.
- On Feb. 26, 2026, the European Commission said member states can use the European Social Fund to finance safe abortions across the EU, with Minzatu stating, 'We wish that every woman can live confidently and freely.'
- Launched last year, the 'My Voice, My Choice' European Citizens' Initiative gathered 1,124,513 signatures and prompted a formal European Commission reply after support was collected earlier this week.
- The €142.7 billion ESF+ budget supports member states in funding services like travel, treatment, scans, and accommodation for safe abortions, Lahbib said.
- Campaigners responded by calling the clarification a victory but expressed disappointment as the Commission stopped short of creating a new EU fund requested by the European Parliament, leaving implementation to member states.
- Supporters point to more than 20 million women without access across the bloc, with Poland and Malta as notable holdouts and calls from Nika Kova for clearer funding guidance.
124 Articles
124 Articles
Landmark Win on Abortion in the EU
On Thursday, the European Union Commission announced that the European Social Fund can be used by member states to fund safe abortions and improve access to abortion. This is in response to the European Citizens’ Initiative—My Voice, My Choice—which requested that “the EU does what is in its power to ensure safe and accessible abortion for all.”
The European Commission has decided that countries can use EU funds to ensure access to abortion for citizens in countries where it is restricted, Brussels said in response to a petition calling for it, which has garnered more than a million signatures. But critics say the arrangement is not only unethical but also violates the right of states to decide for themselves.
A citizens' initiative for safe abortions in the EU has brought it all the way to the Commission. However, the success of "My Voice, My Choice" is a matter of interpretation, according to the Commission's reply.
The EU Commission allows women to be allowed to have abortion in other EU countries with European money. The EPP warns against the consequences.
The NEOS Foundation, a member of the Assembly for Life Freedom and Dignity in Spain and the One of Us European Federation in Europe, publicly denounces the decision of the European Commission, known yesterday, whereby Member States will be able to use the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) to finance abortions. This European Commission response to the European Citizens' Initiative My Voice, My Choice, while dismissing the creation of a new instrum…
The EU Commission has decided that European funds can be used to support abortions. In a reply published on Thursday ... The post "Investing in Humans": EU Commission Freely Grants Funding for Abortion Appeared first on Apollo News.
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