Changes from plenary report to adopted text

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Articles 2 and 3(3) of the Treaty on European Union,

– having regard to Articles 8, 9, 151, 153,157 and 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

– having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, in particular Articles 21 and 35 thereof,

– having regard to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention),

– having regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified by the EU in 2010,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) No 536/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on clinical trials on medicinal products for human use, and repealing Directive 2001/20/EC,

– having regard to Directive (EU) 2024/1385 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 on combating violence against women and domestic violence,

– having regard to the Commission proposal of 16 July 2025 for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing the European Competitiveness Fund (‘ECF’), including the specific programme for defence research and innovation activities, repealing Regulations (EU) 2021/522, (EU) 2021/694, (EU) 2021/697, (EU) 2021/783 and amending Regulations (EU) 2021/696, (EU) 2023/588, (EU) [EDIP] (COM(2025)0555),

– having regard to its resolution of 17 December 2025 on the European citizens’ initiative entitled ‘My Voice, My Choice: For Safe and Accessible Abortion’,

– having regard to its resolution of 24 June 2021 on the situation of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the EU, in the frame of women’s health,

– having regard to its resolution of 12 February 2020 on an EU strategy to put an end to female genital mutilation around the world,

– having regard to its resolution of 29 April 2026 on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union in 2024 and 2025,

– having regard to its question for written answer E-004697/2025 to the Commission regarding the recommendation on harmful practices,

– having regard to the Council Recommendation of 21 June 2024 on vaccine-preventable cancers,

– having regard to the Council Recommendation of 9 December 2022 on strengthening prevention through early detection: A new EU approach on cancer screening replacing Council Recommendation 2003/878/EC,

– having regard to the Council conclusions of 3 December 2024 on strengthening women’s and girls’ mental health by promoting gender equality,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 5 March 2026 entitled ‘Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030’ (COM(2026)0113),

– having regard to its resolution of 13 November 2025 on the Gender Equality Strategy 2025,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 26 February 2026 on the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) ‘My Voice, My Choice: For Safe And Accessible Abortion’ (C(2026)3225),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 16 December 2025 on an EU cardiovascular health plan: the Safe Hearts Plan (COM(2025)1024),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 7 March 2025 entitled ‘A Roadmap for Women’s Rights’ (COM(2025)0097),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 3 February 2021 entitled ‘Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan’ (COM(2021)0044),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 5 March 2020 entitled ‘A Union of Equality: Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025’ (COM(2020)0152),

– having regard to the Commission publication of May 2024 entitled ‘Case studies on obstetric violence – Experience, analysis, and responses’,

– having regard to the express mandate entrusted to the College of Commissioners by the European Parliament to ‘lead the work on sexual and reproductive health issues’,

– having regard to the European Committee of the Regions Opinion of 15 October 2025 on strengthening women’s rights and gender equality in the EU: A local and regional perspective,

– having regard to the proposed guideline of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued for consultation on 4 June 2025 entitled ‘ICH E21 guideline on inclusion of pregnant and breastfeeding individuals in clinical trials – Scientific guideline’,

– having regard to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) surveillance and monitoring report entitled ‘Monitoring of the responses to sexually-transmitted infection epidemics in EU/EEA countries, 2024’, published in December 2025,

– having regard to the European Institute for Gender Equality’s (EIGE) Gender Equality Index 2025,

– having regard to the report of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) of January 2024 entitled ‘Beating Cancer Inequalities in the EU: Spotlight on Cancer Prevention and Early Detection’,

– having regard to the study published by its Directorate-General for Citizens’ Rights, Justice and Institutional Affairs in November 2025 ‘Gender Inequalities in Medical Research, Drug Development and Access to Care’ ,

– having regard to the study published by its Directorate-General for Internal Policies in April 2024 ‘Obstetric and gynaecological violence in the EU - Prevalence, legal frameworks and educational guidelines for prevention and elimination’ ,

– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Public Health,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (A10-0200/2026),

A. whereas health is a fundamental right, and therefore everyone must have access to quality, affordable, timely and accessible healthcare services, irrespective of their socio-economic status, as enshrined in the European Pillar of Social Rights; whereas reducing inequalities presents an opportunity to address fragmentation and strengthen health outcomes across Member States, reinforcing the principles of equality and social cohesion enshrined in the Treaties through a stronger and more coordinated response at EU level;

B. whereas multiple and intersecting barriers to accessing healthcare services, as well as complex health needs, are encountered by refugee and ethnic minority women, women living in poverty, unhoused women, women in precarious employment or with unpaid care responsibilities, older women, women with disabilities, women residing in rural and socio-economically disadvantaged areas and individuals from LGBTIQ+ communities in particular; whereas an intersectional approach to women’s health is therefore essential;

D. whereas unequal access to healthcare services across the EU, particularly in rural, remote and mountainous areas, islands and outermost regions, constitutes a significant barrier to timely diagnosis and treatment, including for pregnant women;

E. whereas access to safe, clean and affordable water and sanitation is a fundamental determinant of physical and mental health and a public good and plays a crucial role in disease prevention, chronic condition management and overall well-being across the course of a person’s life; whereas inequalities in access to water and sanitation mostly affect people living in poverty, inadequate housing and rural or remote areas and have a specific impact on women, children, older people and persons with disabilities;

F. whereas simplification and better coordination of cross-border healthcare would contribute to ensuring that women can access treatment across borders when needed, while reducing red tape for patients and providers;

G. whereas medical research has historically been male-centric, leading to insufficient understanding of women’s health, physiology and sex-based differences; whereas this systemic inequality in medicine has an impact on the diagnosis, treatment, morbidity and mortality of under-represented sections of the population, including women and gender-diverse people;

H. whereas in 2020, only 5 % of global research and development funding was allocated to women’s health research; whereas research funding is often not proportional to the disease burden, and conditions that predominantly affect women, such as migraines or endometriosis, receive significantly less financial support and investment compared to conditions that primarily impact men; whereas addressing the persistent underinvestment in women’s health requires stronger public action and targeted funding, which should drive developments that are in the interest of citizens; whereas adequate and sustained investment in health security, including gender-sensitive preparedness, prevention and response measures, is therefore necessary to ensure both societal resilience and equitable health outcomes;

I. whereas, although regulatory developments have improved inclusivity in clinical trials, the representation of women remains below that of men and the disparity is particularly acute for pregnant and breastfeeding women; whereas this applies not only to clinical trials but also to pre-clinical, epidemiological, behavioural and health system research; whereas this undermines the safety and effectiveness of medicines and treatments for women; whereas, as a consequence of this lack of sufficiently balanced representation in the development stage of drugs, women experience adverse drug reactions 50 % to 75 % more often than men; whereas more inclusive research, including on pregnant and breastfeeding women, is needed to reduce avoidable risks to maternal health; whereas studies have shown that women are subject to specific exposure patterns – including during pregnancy – that affect their health and that of the developing child;

J. whereas transgender, non-binary and intersex people and marginalised communities, such as ethnic minorities and women with disabilities, are often absent or disproportionally excluded from clinical trials and medical research, resulting in significant gaps in evidence regarding the safety and effectiveness of treatments; whereas this lack of data contributes to unequal access to appropriate, timely and high-quality healthcare;

K. whereas generic medicinal products are authorised on the basis of bioequivalence studies, which are still conducted predominantly on male participants and are not systematically analysed for sex differences; whereas reference medicinal products have historically been tested mainly on men; whereas differences in formulation between generic and reference medicinal products may affect bioavailability, raising uncertainties as to whether bioequivalence demonstrated in men can be equally assumed for women;

L. whereas 72 % of studies on drug trials fail to report and publish sex- and gender-disaggregated data, which significantly limits the understanding of sex-specific diseases, the factors contributing to their prevalence and the response to and safety of treatments;

M. whereas women and girls are disproportionately affected by a range of chronic and gender-specific conditions, which remain under-researched and under-diagnosed; whereas for common diseases, symptoms in women can present differently from ‘textbook’ symptoms, leading to significant misdiagnosis or delays in diagnosis compared to men; whereas delayed diagnosis of gender-specific conditions leads to long-term pain, mental health consequences, loss of income and reduced participation of women in education and the labour market, reinforcing gender and social inequalities; whereas, for example, the total annual loss of production due to migraines, which disproportionately affect women, is estimated at EUR 111 billion in indirect costs in the EU; whereas awareness, health literacy and prevention are essential components of women’s health, as they enable early diagnosis and give women the opportunity to make informed decisions about their bodies and health throughout their lives;

N. whereas women are more likely to seek medical help than men, yet often face delayed or incorrect diagnoses, receive inappropriate treatment, or have their symptoms dismissed as psychosomatic, reflecting persistent gender bias in medical research, diagnostics and clinical practice; whereas studies show that women wait 30 minutes longer in waiting rooms and are prescribed pain relief at lower rates than men with similar symptoms; whereas women from ethnic minority backgrounds and patients facing racial discrimination are more likely to have their symptoms disregarded, which can lead to serious consequences, including undertreatment, misdiagnoses and loss of trust in medical institutions; whereas clinical practice guidelines often do not reflect best-practice clinical care for women;

O. whereas obstetric and gynaecological violence, including verbal abuse, discrimination and non-consensual procedures during pregnancy, childbirth and abortion care, constitutes a violation of women’s rights and dignity, and remains a widespread yet under-recognised issue across the EU; whereas obstetric and gynaecological violence disproportionately affects women with disabilities and women from ethnic minorities, including Roma women, as well as intersex and transgender people; whereas the Commission, in its Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, committed to issuing a recommendation on preventing harmful practices against women and girls, which should comprehensively include all forms of harmful practices, including the aforementioned forms of violence;

P. whereas women with disabilities continue to be subjected to unnecessary, harmful, irreversible or non-consensual medical treatments and interventions, including forced sterilisation, which remains a reality in some parts of the EU;

Q. whereas gender-based violence, in all its forms, constitutes a serious violation of fundamental rights and a major public health issue, with profound and long-lasting impacts on women’s physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health; whereas certain socio-economic factors and inequalities increase women’s exposure to gender-based violence; whereas fair and decent pay is essential for women’s economic independence and enables women to leave situations of domestic violence;