In December, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on the European Commission to set up a voluntary solidarity fund to facilitate women's access to abortion in another EU countries, if there are restrictive rules in their countries. The paper is simply a consequence of the European citizens' initiative "My voice, my choice" and, although it does not formally change the law, raises serious questions about the limits of the Union's competences and ideological pressures towards associate States.
The resolution was adopted by 358 votes to 202, with 79 abstentions. The MEPs called on the European Commission to make a financial mechanics that would let countries on a voluntary basis to apply for EU funds to finance abortions carried out in accordance with national law, including for women from another EU countries.
‘Voluntary’ on paper
Supporters of the initiative, including the Euro MPs of the Citizens' Coalition and the Left, argue that this is not interference with national law, but only an effort to “order” the phenomena that they believe be anyway. They stress that the mechanics would not be compulsory and no state would be forced to change its rules.
At the same time, however, the resolution itself contains clear calls for improvement of abortion law in countries that usage the protection of unborn life. The European Parliament besides cites "international human rights standards", although the crucial right to abortion is not explicitly enshrined in either the EU Treaties or the European Convention on Human Rights.
From the position of countries specified as Poland and Malta, the question arises as to whether we are inactive talking about solidarity, or whether we are already talking about systemic political and financial pressure, which in the long word is going to lead to the harmonisation of delicate planet views.
Poland at the heart of the dispute
Poland, alongside Malta, is identified as the country with the most restrictive abortion rules in the European Union. The current law permits abortion only if the mother's life or wellness is at stake and erstwhile the pregnancy is the consequence of a crime.
Euro MPs supporting the resolution argue that the ban does not destruct abortion, but pushes it into the "grey zone" or abroad. The debate cites data from non-governmental organisations, according to which tens of thousands of Poles benefit from pharmacological abortion each year or go to abroad clinics, frequently with support from abroad foundations.
On the another hand, it is worth noting that these are data from organisations actively active in promoting liberalisation of abortion law, not from state institutions. authoritative NFZ statistic show a completely different scale in 2024 there were 890 hospitalizations associated with legal abortion and in the first half of 2025 411 specified cases.
A dispute of value, not just about money
The European Parliament resolution is part of a broader ideological trend in which the EU institutions are increasingly speaking on issues traditionally falling within national competence: families, ethics, the protection of life or education.
In the document, the Euro MPs expressed the "contamination" of alleged withdrawal of women's rights and increasing opposition to the ideology of sex equality. For many conservative voters, it is simply a signal that under the slogans of human rights, 1 liberal-left imagination of the planet is exerted, frequently contradicting Christian values and the constitutional rule of protecting life.
It is besides crucial that the initiative "My voice, my choice", although it has collected more than 1.1 million signatures across the EU, has received support from under 43 000 people in Poland. It is so hard to talk of a clear social mandate to change fundamental principles.
What's next?
The European Commission has until March 2026 to submit proposals for action in consequence to the resolution. This can formally be both a legislative proposal and an out-of-law action, specified as financial programmes.
For Poland it will be crucial whether the "voluntary" fund will become a tool for political pressure, dependence on EU funds or further undermining sovereignty in worldview issues. The abortion dispute in Brussels clearly shows that it is not just about wellness or safety, but about a deep conflict of values, which is increasingly being tried to decision from national to EU.
