Welcome to the European Consortium for Emergency Contraception (ECEC)
Founded in 2012, ECEC works to expand knowledge about and access to Emergency Contraception (EC) in Europe, and promotes the standardization of EC service delivery to ensure equitable access across the region. Since 2020, ECEC also works globally to advance access to EC.
EC is the only contraceptive method that can be used after sex, and it provides women with an additional opportunity to prevent a pregnancy.
Through this website, we hope to contribute to generating and sharing knowledge of EC in Europe and globally. Your contributions are essential to helping us achieve this goal, and we encourage you to share EC information about your country by writing to us at ecec [at] eeirh [dot] org.
Go directly to country-by-country information on EC access
Go directly to the online EC counseling tool (The EC wheel)
Latest News
Japan to approve Behind-the-Counter access to EC
September 2025. According to local news outlets, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has approved the switch of levonorgestrel (LNG) emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) from prescription to behind-the-counter (BTC) status. This change should be part of the country’s revision of the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices (PMD) Act, and take effect in 2026. Under the…
Uso repetido de las píldoras anticonceptivas de emergencia (PAE). Resumen de recomendaciones
Septiembre 2025. ECEC acaba de publicar Uso repetido de las píldoras anticonceptivas de emergencia. Resumen de las recomendaciones actuales, sobre el uso repetido de las PAE de levonorgestrel y de acetato de ulipristal. El resumen se basa en las recomendaciones de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) y de la Faculty of Sexual &…
Reclassification request for ulipristal acetate EC pills raises concerns in Italy
July 2025. In February 2025, an organization in Italy submitted a formal request to reclassify emergency contraceptive pills with ulipristal acetate (UPA). The request cited findings from a proof-of-concept study that explored the potential use of UPA for medical abortion. Since becoming available without prescription in 2015, UPA emergency contraception has played a significant role…