10 Ways the EU is Driving Progress on Gender Equality and SRHR

The 2019–2024 European Union political cycle was a game-changer for gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). With bold legislation and progressive policies, the EU demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing and protecting women’s rights.

During this period, the Center for Reproductive Rights played a pivotal role in advocating for comprehensive SRHR guarantees within EU legislation and policy, urging the EU to make gender equality and SRHR central priorities on the political agenda. 

Here are 10 ways the EU is driving progress on gender equality and SRHR:

1. Appointing the First Commissioner for Equality

The European Commission President made history by appointing the first-ever Commissioner for Equality, a move long advocated for by civil society organizations, which was a key driver for promoting the EU agenda for equality.

2. Passing a New Law to Combat Violence Against Women 

In June 2024, the EU passed a groundbreaking directive to fight violence against women and domestic violence. This law guarantees access to sexual and reproductive health care for survivors of sexual violence across all 27 EU member states. The move follows the EU’s ratification in 2023 of the Istanbul Convention, which set ambitious and comprehensive rules to combat violence against women at the European level. 

3. Adopting the Gender Equality Strategy 2020–2025 

Adopted in 2020, the EU’s first Gender Equality Strategy sets ambitious goals and actions to achieve a gender-equal Europe by 2025. It includes important commitments on SRHR, from ending gender-based violence to promoting a gender-equal economy. 

4. Embedding SRHR in Peacebuilding and Conflict Response 

EU Member States renewed their commitments to center women and girls, including victims and survivors of gender-based violence, in their responses to armed conflict, ensuring they have access to essential sexual and reproductive health services. 

The EU Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (2019–2024) translates commitments into tangible actions, including funding for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services. The plan prioritizes participation, gender mainstreaming, leading by example, prevention, protection, and relief and recovery. 

The European Parliament’s first-ever report on Gender Equality in Foreign Policy—issued in 2020 and setting out its vision for a gender-equal EU security and foreign policy—emphasized the importance of including SRHR in humanitarian responses and foreign policy. 

5. Removing Barriers to Access: The European Parliament’s Landmark Report on SRHR 

The European Parliament adopted its first comprehensive report on SRHR in the EU in more than 20 years, calling for the removal of all barriers in access to abortion, modern contraception, quality maternal health care, assisted reproductive technologies and comprehensive sexuality education. 

6. Proposing EU Treaty Revisions: The Right to Bodily Autonomy 

Following the Conference on the Future of Europe, the European Parliament proposed adding a right to bodily autonomy in the Charter of Fundamental Rights and making public health, including SRHR, a shared competence between the EU and Member States. 

7. Supporting Access to SRHR for Ukrainian Refugees 

The European Parliament has been vocal about ensuring refugees fleeing Ukraine have access to SRHR services. Following the publication of the Center’s 2023 Care in Crisis report, which outlines barriers to SRHR services faced by refugees in Poland, Slovakia, Hundary and Romania, it called on EU countries to guarantee these services and urged the EU to prioritize access for all refugees, including those still in Ukraine. 

8. Standing Up to Abortion Rollbacks Everywhere 

The European Parliament strongly opposed Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal ruling in 2020 that removed a legal ground for abortion, marking an important stance against this significant rollback in an EU Member State. 

After the United States Supreme Court revoked the country’s constitutional right to abortion in 2022, the European Parliament expressed concern and called for stronger abortion protections within the EU, demonstrating its commitment to safeguarding these rights. 

9. Recognizing Abortion Rights Defenders 

For the first time, abortion rights defenders were finalists for the European Parliament Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, which highlighted their work as fundamental to human rights advocacy. 

10. Reforming Legislation for Better Access to SRHR 

The European Parliament is pushing to remove restrictions on abortion medicines and contraceptives, making it easier for people to access essential healthcare products. 

It has also proposed a revision of the Victims’ Rights Directive to include guarantees for victims to access comprehensive medical care services, including SRHR, as part of support services. 

Recommendations for the Next EU Political Cycle 

As we head into the new EU political cycle (2024–2029), the Center will be working to keep the momentum going, urging policymakers across Europe to capitalize on the important achievements that marked the previous cycle and ensure these issues remain front and center on the EU’s agenda. 

The Center recently published two briefs highlighting its recommendations:

>> 2024–2029: Priorities for EU Action to Advance Gender Equality and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. This January 2024 report highlights nine key recommendations for EU policymakers to build on the progress made while seizing new opportunities to advance SRHR across Europe. 

>> Advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the European Union. This September 2024 policy brief, designed for Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), provides a comprehensive overview of the EU’s competence in SRHR areas and outlines specific actions the MEPs can take to build on progress achieved under the past legislature and ensure continued progress on SRHR across the EU and beyond over the next five years.