Dearest colleagues and friends,
I hope you are well. I am happy to share with you our newest Contraception Policy Atlas Europe 2026 on the most recent trends in contraception accessibility in Europe.
Our new Contraception Policy Atlas provides a comprehensive mapping of contraceptive access across 47 countries in the European region and the Youth Contraception Awareness Study. The report was published against the backdrop of rising pronatalist policy agendas, widespread disinformation and online misinformation as well as pseudo-scientific natural family planning initiatives.
Our key findings
The Atlas reveals a continued divide between Western and Eastern Europe in access to contraception. While Western European countries such as France, the UK, Portugal, Luxembourg and Belgium have maintained top rankings with comprehensive coverage and accessibility, Eastern European countries like Poland, Russia, Türkiye, Hungary and Slovakia remain at the lower end of the spectrum due to restrictive policies and a lack of support for contraceptive access. Notably, the Western countries at the top of the ranking also provide postpartum contraception after childbirth, something that the low-ranking Eastern European countries are lacking.
Encouraging policy advancements include pilot projects in Austria and Poland. Vorarlberg, Austria is piloting free contraception with combined counselling, while in Poland pharmacists can now dispense emergency contraception (EC) without a doctor’s visit. In England the NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service allows women to initiate or continue oral contraception directly through pharmacies. Prior, they had to consult a General Practitioner.
Our recommendations:
- Expanding national health system coverage to include long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) and emergency contraception.
- Ensuring accessible and free counselling services for contraception, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
- Strengthening public health information platforms to provide accurate and comprehensive guidance on contraceptive options.
- Monitoring the emergence of new technologies in the field of contraception: AI and fertility-tracking apps
- Promoting postpartum contraception at the discharge from the hospital after childbirth
You can find all the published materials around the Contraception Policy Atlas Europe 2026 here:
- For more detailed information about the launch event and atlas results, including the perspectives of our many different speakers click here.
- To re-watch the launch event of the Atlas with our speakers MEPs Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus (S&D, Poland) and Mélissa Camara (The Greens, EFA) and guest speakers MP (France) and EPF President Guillaume Gouffier Valente, Social Media influencer Dina Chaerani (#SRHR Barbie) and Dr Michelle Cooper, Clinician and Senior Clinical Lecturer from NHS Research Scotland and the University of Edinburgh – click here.
- Check out the whole atlas here.
You can also check out our social media breakdowns of the report on our Instagram, Linkedin, Bluesky and YouTube account (please start to follow us!).
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Best wishes, on behalf of EPF, Tim