European

Institutions

The EU Institutions’ consistent commitment to the promotion of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) is apparent in their major policies and international cooperation and development documents. For example, in October 2022, the European Commission adopted its Youth Action Plan (YAP), which is its guiding policy framework to promote youth engagement and empowerment as part of the EU’s external action. The YAP specifically recognises SRHR as one of the key priority areas for youth empowerment, with a commitment to ‘’promote universal access to youth-friendly SRHR, with quality and affordable services and information, including comprehensive sexuality education, HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment, focusing on adolescent girls, marginalised and LGBTIQ young people’’. Council Conclusions from November 2022, expressed strong political support for the proposed actions and the implementation of the YAP.

Strong commitments to SRHR are also included in the EU’s Gender Action Plan (GAP III), which provides the framework to promote gender equality through EU and EU Member States’ external action. The GAP III, adopted in November 2020, includes SRHR as one of the key thematic areas for the promotion of gender equality, with specific objectives and indicators. As a result, several EU partner countries have identified SRHR as a priority sector for the GAP III implementation. In addition, GAP III reaffirms the EU’s commitment to dedicate 85% of external cooperation projects to the promotion of gender equality, ensuring that 85% of initiatives include at least one action with gender equality as a principal or significant objective; applying to all EU Delegations. The Mid-Term Evaluation of the implementation of the GAP III, published in April 2023, confirmed that the policy has helped to continue increasing the strategic importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) in EU external action. However, it also found that the level of ambition and impact of GAP III varies from country to country. In November 2023, the European Commission published its joint mid-term report on the implementation of the Gender Action Plan, which included input from EU Member States, UN agencies and CSOs. Based on this report, the EU has decided to extend the GAP III implementation period until 2027 and thus align the duration with the 2021-2027 MFF and the NDICI.

In November 2022, the European Commission also adopted a new Global Health Strategy (GHS) that put health back on the EU’s political agenda as a key priority. SRHR is recognised as a fundamental component of the strategy. This entails supporting universal access to SRHR as a key action necessary to deliver better health, and improving equitable access to health services. The GHS also puts a focus on promoting SRHR for women and girls, youth, and people with disabilities, making a specific reference to youth-friendly services. In early 2024, the Council of the EU adopted Conclusions on this Strategy, stressing the importance of SRHR as part of the efforts to promote global health.

The EU’s Multi-Annual Financial Framework 2021 – 2027 (MFF) attributes 79.5 billion Euros to the ‘Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument /Global Europe (NDICI/GE), which is the main instrument for EU international cooperation. The NDICI/GE, adopted in 2021, and its legal basis includes specific references to SRHR as an important area to be funded, thereby providing a solid basis for the future implementation of EU programmes on SRHR. These commitments are also reflected in the programming of the funding: in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Multiannual Indicative Programmes (MIPs) of 21 countries include references to Sexual and Reproductive Rights. Other countries might not have prioritised SRHR specifically, but include references to SRHR-related issues such as human development, Universal Health Coverage, gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE), and the fight against sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Following the midterm review of the NDICI in 2024, the financial allocation to the instrument was reduced by 2 billion Euros, with cuts negatively impacting both thematic and geographic programs. This will limit the financial resources that the EU will be able to mobilise in the final years of NDICI implementation, until 2027.