Lawmakers on the European Parliament’s women’s rights committee voted on Wednesday to back an EU fund that would help women travel abroad for abortions banned or restricted in their home countries.
The proposal is the most concrete institutional step to date in a campaign led by My Voice, My Choice, a pan-European feminist movement that has gathered more than 1.2 million verified signatures across all 27 EU countries.
The fund, which EU countries could join voluntarily, would cover travel costs for women seeking abortions abroad, particularly those in Malta and Poland, where the procedure is heavily restricted, or in Italy and Slovenia, where many doctors refuse to perform it on grounds of conscience.
After the committee’s green light, with 26 votes in favour and 12 against, the Parliament is expected to vote on a resolution in December. These resolutions allow the institution to express its views on political processes or EU policies, but do not carry legal weight.
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Views on abortion rights vary significantly across political groups.
While the socialists, liberals, and Greens are expected to rally behind the plan, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) have taken a more conservative stance. But as the largest group in the European Parliament, its support will be crucial for the proposal to pass.
One Slovenian EPP lawmaker has already threatened to vote against the proposal, while several Scandinavian, Bulgarian, and Greek group members may break ranks, a source familiar with the vote in the committee said.
“The outcome of the vote in the committee today is proof that change is possible when political parties find a way to unite instead of fighting,” EPP lawmaker Eleonora Meleti told Euractiv.
Should the Parliament endorse the plan, the proposal will go to the European Commission, which must decide by March whether to propose EU legislation enabling funding for abortion access abroad or to explain why it will not act.
Lawmakers backed similar non-binding resolutions in 2022 and 2024, following the US Supreme Court’s decision to roll back reproductive rights, calling for abortion to be added to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
(vib, cs)
