At the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday 17 October, MEPs questioned the European Commission and the Council of the EU on the issue of access to sexual and reproductive health for Ukrainian refugee women in the EU.
Offering the same protection
While the MEPs acknowledged the efforts made by EU countries in terms of reception and welcomed the extension of the directive on temporary protection (see EUROPE 13260/1), they regretted the stumbling blocks in terms of access to healthcare for female Ukrainian refugees.
The Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, pointed out that the directive only obliges Member States to provide emergency medical assistance, while taking into account certain specific needs, such as those of victims of violence. Beyond that, they are “free to provide assistance and the same cover as their own nationals”, she said, stressing that health policy is a national responsibility. “But the coverage can differ among Member States”, she summarised.
As well as encouraging EU countries to extend their medical cover, she assured us that the Commission is monitoring “the main practical obstacles to effective access to healthcare, such as language and cultural barriers and, importantly, the lack of information”.
General shortcomings
A majority of the political groups also criticised the limits imposed by some Member States on sexual and reproductive health for their entire populations. For example, “something as basic as emergency contraception requires prescriptions from a doctor in Hungary and Poland”, said Frances Fitzgerald (EPP, Irish).
She and several of her colleagues, including Heléne Fritzon (S&D, Swedish), María Soraya Rodríguez Ramos (Renew Europe, Spanish) and Malin Björk (The Left, Swedish) also strongly criticised the lack of access to abortion in these same countries (see EUROPE 13254/28).
Finally, Ms Fitzgerald and Ms Dalli reiterated their call for the adoption of an ambitious directive to combat violence against women, particularly rape (see EUROPE 13264/28). (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)