EuroHealthNet responds to the European Parliament’s public consultation on women’s health
The European Parliament’s Committee on Public Health has launched a public consultation to better understand the challenges and needs in women’s health across Europe. Open throughout March 2025, the consultation aimed to collect insights from citizens, stakeholders, and organisations on the current state of access to healthcare for women, to guide future policy and legislative action at the EU level.
EuroHealthNet, as a partnership of public health bodies committed to promoting health equity and reducing inequalities, welcomed the opportunity to contribute. Our response highlights that while general access to healthcare across Europe is broadly good, there are persistent disparities in access to healthcare specific to women, such as gynaecological services and reproductive health. We rated access to preventive healthcare, contraception, menopause care, and tailored medical information as only fair to poor across several domains.
Our contribution stresses the urgent need to address socioeconomic barriers, expand preventive services, and improve access to quality mental health support for women. We advocate for enhanced EU-level coordination to ensure gender-responsive healthcare systems integrating social, economic, and life-course factors. Political leadership, funding, and prioritisation of women’s health across EU institutions are vital to achieving EU’s commitments to gender equality and social justice.
