Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002365/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Carolina Morace (The Left), Valentina Palmisano (The Left), Dario Tamburrano (The Left)
To prevent shortages and boost the resilience of the European health system, the Commission, with the technical and scientific support of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and national agencies, published the EU list of critical medicines in December 2023, and updated it in 2024.
However, the list does not include medicines that are essential for women’s sexual and reproductive health, including:
• Misoprostol, used to terminate pregnancies pharmacologically;
• Levonorgestrel and ulipristal acetate, used as emergency contraceptives.
In its resolution of 11 April 2024 (2024/2655 (RSP)), Parliament defined access to safe abortion and emergency contraception as ‘fundamental rights’. These medicines, which are included in the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines, are crucial for protecting women’s sexual and reproductive rights throughout the EU.
In the light of the above:
- 1.What criteria led to the exclusion of those medicines from the list?
- 2.Will the Commission review the selection criteria with a view to including essential medicines for sexual and reproductive health?
- 3.What practical steps will it take to ensure their availability in all Member States, including where legislative or logistical barriers limit the right to abortion or access to emergency contraception?
Submitted: 11.6.2025