The European Commission has told member states they can use existing EU funding to pay for safe abortions, after a citizens' initiative attracted 1.1 million signatures to help women without access to safe and legal terminations.
The My Voice, My Choice group behind the initiative has hailed the decision as a victory for women in Europe and a political commitment to women's rights.
But the Commission stopped short of creating any new funding facility to enable women in areas of Europe that do not provide abortions to travel to parts that do.
Health policy in the EU is a national competence, but by proposing the existing "European Social Fund Plus" the Commission says each member state can decide how they use it.
European Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lahbib said on Thursday that almost 500,000 unsafe abortions took place in Europe every year and "safety and freedom must never depend on your postcode and income".
