Advocating for SRHR at the European Union and the Council of Europe

The Center for Reproductive Rights engages with European multilateral bodies and policy makers to advance respect and protection for sexual and reproductive health and rights.

We work to ensure that European Union institutions address shortcomings and deficits with regard to SRHR across the EU, as well as in countries around the world. We advocate for the adoption of EU policies and legislation that will advance gender equality and SRHR and for robust EU action to address key SRHR challenges in other regions. Through our engagement we have called on the EU to address SRHR challenges as part of its efforts to advance gender equality and to ensure that survivors of gender-based violence have effective access to essential sexual and reproductive health services. In June 2021, the European Parliament adopted a landmark resolution on SRHR calling on all EU member states to guarantee universal enjoyment of sexual and reproductive health and rights and remove all barriers in access to health services, information and education.

Our work also includes active engagement with the Council of Europe’s human rights mechanisms to raise awareness of SRHR concerns and drive meaningful action. In 2017, we collaborated with the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe to publish an Issue Paper on Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Europe. The paper analyzes key remaining barriers and challenges and outlines states’ human rights obligations to guarantee SRHR across Europe. Following the publication of the issue paper, we continued our collaboration with the Council of Europe and contributed to a follow-up report titled Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Europe: Progress and Challenges, which was published in February 2024. We also engage in advocacy efforts with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

In our advocacy we also seek action by European governments to implement European Court of Human Rights judgments on sexual and reproductive rights. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe monitors states’ compliance with key judgments and makes recommendations where implementation is lacking. For example, the Committee of Ministers has condemned Poland’s ongoing failures to take effective measures to comply with three landmark judgments in the cases of R.R. v. Poland, P and S v. Poland and Tysiac v. Poland concerning access to legal abortion and related information and services.

• Policy Brief: Advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the EU, 09.23.24
• Fact sheet: 2024-2029 Priorities for EU Action to Advance Gender Equality and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, 01.24.24
• EU Resolution Calls for Full Realization of SRHR in the EU, 06.24.21
• Supplemental Information for the Committee of Ministers on RR v. Poland, P and S v. Poland and Tysiac v. Poland, 03.16.21
• Organizations Join Council of Europe’s Urgent Call for Poland to Ensure Access to Lawful Abortion Care and Services, 03.16.21
• Submission regarding the EU external action Gender Action Plan (GAP) 2021-2025, 05.01.20
• Submission regarding the EU strategy on victims’ rights 2020-2024, 04.02.20
• Submission regarding the EU post-2020 Roma equality and inclusion policy, 03.16.20
• Submission regarding the EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, 12.03.19
• Council of Europe Issue Paper on Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Europe, 12.01.17